SACRAMENTO (AP) - A conservative faction of the California Republican Party is asking party leaders to reconsider their endorsement of Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election bid next year, a reaction to his hiring of a Democratic activist as chief of staff. The appeal was made Thursday by the California Republican Assembly, one of the oldest and most conservative member organizations of the state GOP. It cited continued unrest among volunteers that Susan Kennedy, a former aide to Democratic Gov. Gray Davis, could have such an important position in the Schwarzenegger administration. "This should send a very strong message to the governor...