Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Thursday appointed longtime Republican budget adviser Michael C. Genest to serve as his third finance director in little more than two years. Genest, 58, spent five years as the head budget aide to Senate Republicans before joining Schwarzenegger's finance department in 2003 as chief deputy director. He has been the acting director of the Department of Finance since September. Assemblyman John Laird, D-Santa Cruz, chair of the Assembly Budget Committee, described Genest as a "a strong conservative with a pragmatic streak."