Schwarzenegger, conversely, counts movie stars and mansions among his tools as a lobbyist, and appears eager to bring lawmakers into his world.
The acclaim hasn't been unanimous, however.
Schwarzenegger, who rarely takes questions from reporters, has been taken to task for treating the Capitol press corps more like personal publicists than guardians of the First Amendment, which protects freedom of speech. The Sacramento Bee newspaper suggested in a recent column that his repeated references to bodybuilding and his movie star past have grown stale.
"I think there are a lot of mixed feelings," said Mike Spence, president of the conservative California Republican Assembly.
The governor doesn't get everything he wants. Nunez, for example, knows that differences will come in time despite his friendship with the governor. "I'm not intimidated by him or anyone else," he said.
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