I would like to congratulate those Republicans who wore those "NO MAS" buttons at the joint session at the Sacramento and decided to stay home. They silently protested and got their point across to "His Excellency" Vicente Fox. I wish those pins are available to the general public(note to an enterprising person out there).
There was a lot more celebration than confrontation in Thursday's arrival of Mexican President Vicente Fox at the state Capitol-- a day that began with news of immigration legislation being approved by the U.S. Senate, and ended with a lavish private dinner at one of Sacramento's most historic locations.
Immigration was discussed in Fox's visit with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators. More on that this morning on The California Report.
But for now, some of the lighter sights and scenes of the day:
* The Official Visit: Fox's arrival on the west steps of the Capitol, under large hanging U.S. and Mexican flags, went off without a hitch. Later, the cowboy aficionado world leader (who was photographed in Utah in a cowboy hat) received a cowboy-themed gift from legislative Democrats: a large gold and silver belt buckle with the word "California" emblazoned on the front.
* Popular, And Not So Popular: The reactions to Fox were pretty much split down party lines. Many Democrats seemed happy to see the Mexican leader. Assemblymember Nicole Parra (D-Hanford) had President Fox sign a photo she took with him in Bakersfield back in 2001. Republicans, meantime, wore yellow buttons that said "No Mas!"-- in response to the issue of illegal immigration. Sen. Bob Dutton (R-Rancho Cucamonga) even placed a tiny American flag at his desk, not far from the podium where Fox spoke.
* Shhhh: Reporters traveling with President Fox from Mexico were everywhere. And I mean everywhere. Almost two dozen last minute media requests for access to the speech flooded the Assembly Speaker's press office from foreign correspondents. Meantime, in the media room off the Assembly floor, a Mexican reporter translated Fox's speech into Spanish... simultaneously as he delivered it... out loud for anyone who cared to hear.
* The Party: Some 700 people were invited to the evening outdoor fiesta for Fox held in the courtyard of the Secretary of State's offices. Margaritas, tamales, sangria, taquitos, you name it... were everywhere. That, however, was not the final bash. A smaller affair, 150 people, were invited to a formal dinner hosted by Schwarzenegger at the historic Stanford Mansion, recently renovated for just such occasions.
* Checkout Is At 11:00 am: By the way, while the Stanford Mansion is available for formal state parties, there is nowhere for a visiting head of state to grab some shuteye. California has no official Governor's Mansion. President Fox and his entourage camped out in a downtown Sacramento hotel, though not the one where his host has camped out the last two and a half years.
* The Tour: The governor and First Lady Maria Shriver took President and Marta Fox on a 10 minute tour of an art exhibit honoring Latinas, in the museum next door to the courtyard party. Most of the tour was narrated by Shriver, who's been quite involved in the museum's exhibits. But the highlight came as they stopped at an exhibit that showed off items from the movie based on the life of artist Freda Kahlo. President Fox looked at one of the photos, immediately smiled, and said, "Salma Hayek." He remembered (as do I) that the sexy Hayek portrayed Kahlo in the flick.
* The Love: Memo to Phil Angelides, whose gubernatorial bid has been endorsed by Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez (D-LA): are you sure Nunez is still on board? After Nunez introduced the governor, saying that thanks to Schwarzenegger, "California is once again on the move," Schwarzenegger beamed. He then said he might use that sound bite in his campaign. Of course, Nunez also got in a good jab by saying that the governor and the Mexican president "both have similar accents."
* Too Much Information?: Schwarzenegger seemed in such a good mood while introducing Fox at the courtyard soiree that he launched into a list of all the things he loves about Mexico: the art, the architecture, the food... the tequila.
Uh oh.
"Oh man," he said. "I'm not gonna tell you, but I got drunk a few times with the tequila in Mexico." The crowd laughed, almost nervously it seemed. One woman in the back, though, signaled her approval with a party-esque scream.
Quickly, and thankfully, Schwarzenegger went back to his prepared speech.
posted by John Myers at 1:03 AM