Schwarzenegger, Maria Shriver Open Private Home To Big Donors

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver are selling cocktail parties and dinner at their private Brentwood home to donors who contribute as much as $250,000. There is no Lincoln Bedroom at the Schwarzenegger-Shriver mansion, but they have a nice swimming pool and 11 bathrooms.

A fund-raising invitation obtained by Political Muscle invites well-heeled donors to a cocktail reception April 25 at their Mandeville Canyon estate, followed by another reception and dinner June 6 for donors who contribute either $100,000 or $250,000. The governor has divided his donors into "executive" and "advisory" committees for his California Recovery Team, a political fund that can accept unlimited donations.

The required contribution to visit the governor's house ranges from $25,000 to $250,000 for the highest level, a Founding Member. Read invite here (PDF).

Included in the price: access to the governor. The biggest donors are being invited to four additional private meetings with Schwarzenegger, according to the invitation. "Members will also be included in regular conference calls with the governor and leading and well-known Californians from the public and private sector," the invite says. In the past, Schwarzenegger's sale of private meetings to donors has been questioned by campaign ethics watchdogs, who ask: Can a special interest group meet with the governor without having to give a donation? (Yes.)

The June 6 fundraiser at his home contradicts Schwarzenegger's desire to ban fundraising while he is negotiating with the Legislature on the multibillion-dollar state budget. June is the most heated month for budget negotiations, when scores of lobbyists seek favors from the administration and lawmakers.

Julie Soderlund, the governor's campaign committee spokeswoman, said the private meetings with wealthy donors are a chance for the governor to "present his vision for California, not the other way around." In other words, the meetings are not designed for donors to seek special treatment for their pet issues, but to hear him give a speech and talk about his agenda.

Robert M. Stern, president of the Center for Governmental Studies, said the amounts being requested are "staggering" and clearly open doors closed to ordinary people. He said such large donors are "going to get immediate access" if they have a problem with the government.

"It has to be worthwhile for people to go," Stern said about the dinner and receptions. "I don't think people are going to pay $250,000 just to listen to the governor. … If I pay $250,000 and I call the governor up, I am going to get a call from him or his chief of staff or a person who has to deal with my problem."

Schwarzenegger and Shriver aren't reclusive -- they frequently open their home to political guests. Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez and Senate leader Don Perata have been invited there. But it's rare for the couple to open their home to donors.

Why is the governor raising money only a few months after being re-elected and with no immediate plans to run for another state position?

For one, he still has considerable expenses. Schwarzenegger's private jets cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to lease. The 501(c)4 California Recovery Team can accept unlimited donations, unlike the governor's re-election campaign account, and the money can be used for his jet as long as he's flying somewhere talking about his policies. Soderlund said the CRT will pay for "legislative advocacy" -- helping the governor sell his agenda in Sacramento, from health care reform to rebuilding the state's infrastructure.

(Photo: Brian Baer / Pool - Getty Images)