The first executions of Schwarzenegger's term occurred in 2005 with Donald Beardslee in January and Stanley Williams in December, which drew opposition from opponents of capital punishment and his native country of Austria.

[15] As part of a bipartisan group of governors on February 24, 2008, Schwarzenegger called on George W. Bush, the U.S. Congress, and the presidential candidates to back a major spending program to repair the nation's roads, bridges, rail lines, and water systems.

[16] It was reported on April 12, 2009 that Schwarzenegger and Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell sent a private memo to Obama saying he needs to assert more political leadership instead of leaving it to Congress to draft a plan for improving the nation's aging highways, bridges, and ports.

"[18] On October 18, 2004, he endorsed Propositions 62 and 71, the former of which would establish open primary elections and the latter of which would authorize the sale of $3 billion in bonds and the creation of a state institute that would award grants to stem cell researchers.

[19] At a rally in Los Angeles on October 28, 2004 Schwarzenegger joined three former California governors, including his predecessor Gray Davis, to voice his opposition to Proposition 66, which would have augmented the state's three-strikes law.

"[34] Los Angeles Times writer Joe Mathews wrote that Schwarzenegger routinely sides with business and asserts quasi-libertarian views on individual freedom but has crossed borders and associated with groups whose experiences seem foreign to his own.

[48] In March 2005, the Cato Institute, an American libertarian think tank, issued a "fiscal policy report card" for 2004 in which it assigned an A grade to Schwarzenegger's performance as governor.

[62] On April 3, 2009, Schwarzenegger appointed Laura Chick to the newly created office of inspector general to oversee its share of the $787 billion from the federal economic stimulus package.

[63] On December 9, 2005 Schwarzenegger nominated Carol Corrigan, a moderate Republican, to the state Supreme Court to fill the vacancy created by the departure of Janice Rogers Brown.

[66] It was announced on December 12, 2003 that Schwarzenegger and the California State Legislature reached an agreement that put on the ballot a bond issue to finance as much as $15 billion in debt and a constitutional spending limit.

[74] On May 26, 2005 Schwarzenegger travelled to San Jose, California, to fill a pothole dug by city crews just a few hours before, as part of an attempt to dramatize his efforts to increase funding for transportation projects.

[77] On January 11, 2008, Schwarzenegger proposed austerity measures by taking billions of dollars from public schools, shutting down four-dozen state parks, and releasing tens of thousands of prisoners.

[92] On January 6, 2009, Schwarzenegger vetoed an $18 billion deficit-cutting package with his spokesperson saying that it did not meet the governor's demands for making more cuts, streamlining government, and creating an economic stimulus.

[113] On May 31, 2007, Schwarzenegger and British Columbia premier Gordon Campbell signed a memorandum of understanding on climate change in Vancouver, setting targets for greenhouse gas emissions below 1990 levels.

[114] On July 31, 2006, Schwarzenegger and United Kingdom Prime Minister Tony Blair agreed to create a market for the trading of carbon emissions, and share economic and scientific research on climate change and non-polluting technology.

[116] On November 8, 2007, Schwarzenegger, with the backing of state Attorney General Jerry Brown, sued the Bush administration pursuing California exercising the ability to impose its own automobile clean air standards.

"[121] At a Yale University climate conference on April 18, 2008, Schwarzenegger signed a pledge with 17 other U.S. states to pressure Congress and the next president to quickly adopt aggressive limits on greenhouse gas emissions.

"[132] On February 20, 2004 Schwarzenegger ordered California Attorney General Bill Lockyer to intervene immediately to stop San Francisco from granting marriage licenses to same-sex couples.

[152] The ban on fishing and crabbing in the San Francisco area was lifted by Schwarzenegger on November 29 after studies showed no ill effects from the oil spill, but state officials urged seafood lovers to stay away from some mussels and oysters.

[153] After the Pacific Fishery Management Council voted on April 10, 2008 to cancel the chinook fishing season in an effort to reverse the catastrophic disappearance of California's run of the king salmon, Schwarzenegger declared a state of emergency and sent a letter to George W. Bush asking for his help in obtaining federal disaster assistance.

[160] At a rally in Los Angeles on October 28, 2004 Schwarzenegger joined three former California governors, including his predecessor Gray Davis, to voice his opposition to Proposition 66, which would augment the state's three-strikes law.

[178] On September 29, 2005 Schwarzenegger vetoed 52 bills, among them legislation that would give residents access to cheaper prescriptions from Canada and create greater oversight of the state's $3 billion stem cell research program.

[57] While giving a commencement speech at Santa Monica College on June 14, 2005, Schwarzenegger faced boos, jeers, turned backs, and signs of protest to his policies on education funding.

Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill on September 22, 2004 that would have given as many as two million illegal immigrants California drivers licenses, claiming that the measure failed to provide sufficient security provisions at a time of heightened terrorism concerns.

[192][193] On April 23, 2006, Schwarzenegger said that the proposed building a 700-mile wall along the border with Mexico to deter illegal immigration would amount to "going back to the Stone Ages" and urged the federal government to instead use high-tech gear and more patrols to secure the nation's southern boundary.

"[195] On June 23, 2006, Schwarzenegger rejected a request from President George W. Bush to more than double the number of California National Guard troops that would be deployed to the border, fearing the commitment could leave the state vulnerable if an earthquake or wildfire erupted.

[204] In 2004, Schwazenegger made an official trip abroad, visiting Israel on May 2, 2004 where he met Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the city's Simon Wiesenthal Centre Museum of Tolerance.

[115] Schwarzenegger met with Mexican President Vicente Fox on November 9, 2006 to discuss immigration and trade issues and to encourage further efforts on both sides to control greenhouse gases.

[212] Schwarzenegger declared April 24, 2005 a "Day of Remembrance of the Armenian genocide" to the chagrin of the Ankara Chamber of Commerce, an umbrella organization grouping some 300 Ankara-based unions and businesses.

[224] In an article of Time on November 1, 2010, Thad Kousser of the University of California, San Diego said, "[Schwarzenegger] is not divisive nor scandal plagued, but he's generally fallen short of changing the political culture of Sacramento and the policy course of the state.