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WASHINGTON - Gov. Arnold "The Collectinator" Schwarzenegger is to swoop into Washington on Thursday, with state legislative leaders in tow, for an unprecedented meeting with the California congressional delegation and Bush administration officials in hopes of steering more federal money to the state. Schwarzenegger pledged after his recall election victory to be the "collectinator," a play on his starring role in the "Terminator" movies. So far, there hasn't been a lot to show for it, but that could change dramatically on this trip. State and federal officials are working to put the final details together on a five-year deal that...

LOS ANGELES -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the nation's top housing official announced Tuesday that homeless programs nationwide will receive a record $1.4 billion in Housing and Urban Development grants. HUD Secretary Alphonso Jackson said an unprecedented number of local projects will receive the federal funding, which includes $228 million for California. An increasing number of faith-based organizations will be among the 4,400 local programs across the country receiving the aid. The announcement was made at the PATH Residential Service Center, a facility near downtown that provides a range of social services to the homeless. "I have always said that...

WASHINGTON (AP) - Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger campaigned on a promise to get so much federal money for California he'd be known as the Collectinator. He pledged to secure more than $50 billion to correct California's "donor state" status that has residents paying more in federal taxes than they get in federal programs. A year later, Schwarzenegger hasn't delivered on the most extravagant of his campaign trail promises - most likely no governor could. The federal treasury remains in debt to California, and the $50 billion Schwarzenegger promised is nowhere in sight. But while Democrats say Schwarzenegger should have done more,...

To keep their boss from going blind, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's team of professional fund-raisers hit on an elegantly simple idea: a stack of cards. Before Schwarzenegger makes his entrance at one of the many fund-raisers he has held since assuming office, aides hand out about 80 cards entitling eager donors to a photo with the governor - thus limiting the blinding flashbulb pops Schwarzenegger endures before wading into crowds who pay thousands of dollars apiece for a few precious minutes with the most powerful man in the state. The cards are a small but telling symbol of the unparalleled sophistication...

He ran as an outsider in last year's recall election, promising to change a system he said was corrupted by special-interest groups. But as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger enters his first budget-and-bill-signing season, he has raised more money than any previous California governor this early on, including predecessor Gray Davis. Since taking office last November, Schwarzenegger has reported accepting more than $12 million in contributions - twice what Davis, a Democrat, raised in his first six months in office and about 10 times the amount fellow Republican Pete Wilson raised. Schwarzenegger's appearances at fund-raisers for the California Republican Party and some...

<p>Determined to get his "fiscal recovery" plan through the Legislature by Friday's deadline, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will spend next week barnstorming the state and applying pressure to targeted lawmakers he thinks may be persuaded to come to his aid.</p> <p>Using talk radio and campaign-style public events, the governor and his aides have carefully selected venues where they believe he can sway potentially sympathetic legislators by appealing directly to their constituents.</p>

The federal government could grant the state more flexibility in how it spends federal funds to provide health care to the poor. It could offer states more federal aid for the cost of jailing illegal immigrants. And it could change funding formulas for federal programs, such as one that gives California less per capita for homeland security than Wyoming. These are expected to be among the ideas presented to Schwarzenegger by California lawmakers at their meeting Wednesday. Schwarzenegger also plans to meet with House and Senate GOP leaders — a possible sign of the new clout the state could gain...