Schwarzenegger begins second term as California governor

Incumbent California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was sworn in again on Friday, officially beginning his second term as governor of the United States' most populous state.

The inaugural was the former Hollywood action star's first public appearance since fracturing his right thighbone in a ski accident during the Christmas vacation.

Walking on metal crutches, Schwarzenegger took the oath of office in front of some 3,000 guests at the historic Memorial Auditorium in Sacramento, the state capital, local television channel ABC7 reported.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said in his inaugural address that California must move beyond partisanship and even bipartisanship to "post-partisanship," which means Republicans, Democrats and others working together to benefit the people.

"We must think of ourselves as belonging not just to the Republican Party or the Democratic Party, but to the Party of California," Schwarzenegger said, "Centrist does not mean weak. It means well-balanced and well-grounded."

Friday's ceremony was hosted by Willie Brown, a famous Democrat who once served as San Francisco mayor and speaker of the state Assembly, underscoring the governor's repeated theme of a post- partisan stance.

To burnish his bipartisan credentials, Schwarzenegger reportedly also invited California's top Democrats, including congresswoman Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who on Thursday became the first woman speaker of the House of Representatives, and senators Dianne Feinstein and Barbara Boxer, although none of them attended.

During the inauguration, Schwarzenegger shared the stage with former governors, various state officials and mayors of major California cities, including Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa, a Democrat.

Schwarzenegger was first elected in 2003 in a special recall election after the ouster of Democrat governor Gary Davis, who was among the guests at the Friday event. Many of Davis' staffers now occupy top posts in the Schwarzenegger administration.

Source: Xinhua