Governor lauds women, avoids protesters, during Shriver event

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger gave a plug Tuesday to the women in his life — his mother, his mother-in-law, his wife and chief of staff — during a women's conference that was being protested by female union members.

The conference was the scene two years ago of the governor's much-publicized clash with members of the California Nurses Association, who were protesting outside. But in a reflection of Schwarzenegger's improved political fortunes, their rally Tuesday outside the Long Beach Convention Center was far smaller than the noisy events unions held during last year's special election.

Schwarzenegger kept his remarks brief, speaking for a few minutes between presentations by financial adviser Suze Orman and Martha Stewart.

He said he had learned "that when a lot of women on a mission get together, smart men stay out of the way. That's exactly what I'm going to do."

The crowd laughed, and the governor departed for a private meeting with the Dalai Lama, who complemented him for working to help the environment. The exiled Tibetan leader is the featured speaker at the women's conference, which Maria Shriver has made her signature event as first lady.

Shriver, who has said in the past that she assumed the first lady's role reluctantly, told the crowd of 10,000 about her own search for peace and quiet amid the tumult of her very public life.

While acknowledging that her husband tends to shrug his shoulders at her introspection, Shriver said she had learned some valuable lessons from being his partner in public life.

She said the most important lesson was how to slow down enough to listen to other people and to her own voice, "which I now know is in my heart and not in my head."

http://www.pe.com/ap_news/California2/CA_Womens_Conference_255636CA.shtml

Outside the convention hall, more than 100 union protesters, mostly nurses, shouted their opposition to the governor and promoted a campaign finance reform measure, Proposition 89, on the November ballot.

The nurses made a stir two years ago when they unfurled a protest banner during the governor's speech, prompting his now infamous remark that he would kick the butts of special interests in Sacramento, a remark that unions are now reprising in an advertising campaign.

The nurses boogied down the street to the sounds of a rap song one of their members composed in honor of the ballot initiative, while filming themselves for a media campaign. But they did not disrupt the convention.

This year, Schwarzenegger is basking in an election-year embrace of Democrats. He also has tried to repair relations with the unions, including the nurses, although they are still opposing his re-election.

The women's conference began 20 years ago under former Gov. George Deukmejian to help women small business owners. But Shriver has turned it into a celebrity salon reflecting her own eclectic tastes.

The event featured talks by former New York Times columnist Anna Quindlen and NBC host Tim Russert, as well as sessions on healthy eating and exercise and how to dress with style.

At a time when the governor is still deciding on bills affecting California businesses, the conference blared the sponsorship of companies that paid for it, including oil giant BP, Wells Fargo, AT&T, Yahoo! and Apple.

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