Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger Become New Best Buddies

The odd-couple friendship of Arnold Schwarzenegger and Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg — wealthy, moderate Republican businessmen who are holding their first elected offices and nurturing their national reputations — took another step forward yesterday with the California governor’s trip to New York.
Mr. Schwarzenegger spent the day in Manhattan touting environmental initiatives and was the star attraction at a fund-raiser for his re-election campaign last night at the mayor’s town house.

Among the attendees were Gov. George E. Pataki, former Senator Alfonse M. D’Amato, former Gov. William F. Weld of Massachusetts and the financier Ira L. Rennert.

Mr. Bloomberg and Mr. Schwarzenegger seem to be genuinely fond of each other. Just last month, Mr. Bloomberg went to the headquarters of a Silicon Valley fuel-cell company to announce a plan to measure New York City’s fossil-fuel emissions. He also attended two fund-raisers for the governor.

Mr. Schwarzenegger’s visit yesterday was packed with events intended to promote his image as a champion of the environment.

The governor rang the opening bell at Nasdaq, which recently established an index to track the performance of companies that invest in renewable-energy technologies.

Later in the morning, he and Mr. Bloomberg went to an office building on Madison Avenue to tour a Credit Suisse trading floor where European Union carbon-dioxide emissions certificates are traded. They did not make public statements there, but spoke at different places, at different times.

“Schwarzenegger has tried to do something different and good,” Mr. Bloomberg said at an early news conference at City Hall with Adrian M. Fenty, a Washington councilman and the Democratic candidate for mayor there. (Mr. Fenty won the primary in September, in a city where the Democratic mayoral nominee has always won the election.)

Mr. Bloomberg, a longtime Democrat who switched parties to run for mayor in 2001, stressed his fondness for political mavericks like Mr. Schwarzenegger.

“He’s tried to break out of the mold of partisan politics, where you do whatever the party tells you to do,” Mr. Bloomberg said. “Nobody thinks that Arnold Schwarzenegger is anybody’s puppet. He’s his own man, and whether you agree with him or not, that is what I think the voters of California liked when they elected him, and that is why I think they will re-elect him.”

In the afternoon, Mr. Schwarzenegger joined Governor Pataki for a tour of the Solaire, a 27-story, 293-unit apartment tower in Battery Park City that was completed in 2003 and uses much less energy than a conventional building would.

With his fluffed hair and bronzed skin, Mr. Schwarzenegger stood out, yet sounded like any tourist.

“I love New York,” he declared at a news conference with Mr. Pataki. “I’ve been coming here for the last 38 years since I’ve come to this country, making movies here in this city and promoting my movies, competing and winning bodybuilding world championships, and coming here as a tourist just — and enjoying myself.” Mr. Schwarzenegger and Mr. Pataki vowed to explore ways to collaborate on offering economic incentives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Mr. Schwarzenegger last month signed a law that is meant to achieve a 25 percent reduction in those emissions in California by 2020. New York is part of a Regional Greenhouse Gas Initiative of Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic states interested in capping emissions and requiring companies that pollute beyond their allowance to buy credits from companies that pollute less.

Donors raved about the Californian. “Governor Schwarzenegger is making a lot of difficult decisions, but I think the people of California understand that it’s not an easy job,” said Joel J. Kassimir, an Upper East Side dermatologist.

Andrew J. Entwistle, a lawyer from Bedford, N.Y., said, “He’s found a way to bring Californians together, which is something no one thought could be done.”

Not everyone agreed. The California Democratic Party issued a statement last night lambasting the governor’s trip. “That Schwarzenegger accomplished nothing of substance today for the people of California didn’t stop him from arranging another photo-op,” it said.

In the morning, Mr. Bloomberg had praised some Democrats. He called Mr. Fenty and Mayors Antonio R. Villaraigosa of Los Angeles and Cory A. Booker of Newark symbols of hope. “A new generation of people who are not tied to the old political establishment are willing to go out and try new things,” he said.

While the focus was on the California governor, Mr. Bloomberg created some ripples by offering a hint as to his own political aspirations, but just as quickly retracted it.

“I don’t want to fuel speculation, but I’d be thrilled to be a constituent of the mayor’s,” Mr. Bloomberg said at one point, referring to Mr. Fenty of Washington. Asked later to clarify, Mr. Bloomberg said: “You may rest assured, I was joking. And I don’t see myself living in Washington, D.C., although I like to visit it and have lots of friends there.”