Lights! Camera! Politics!

by Les Mahler, Correspondent

STOCKTON
March 12, 2009 12:03am

• California leads the way in turning actors into politicians

• ‘Americans like the idea that people can come into politics laterally’

When it comes to actors going into politics, California leads the way for such transitions.

George Murphy, Ronald Reagan, Sonny Bono, Clint Eastwood and of course, Arnold Schwarzenegger, are the most notable actors-turned politicians in California’s history.

Now you can add the name the Central Valley’s Carlos Villapudua.

OK, you’re asking Carlos who? Granted, Mr. Villapudua, the newly elected San Joaquin County supervisor representing District 1, might not have the celebrity status of a Reagan or a Schwarzenegger but he has had his moment or two on the silver screen, splashed on billboards in New York or in advertisements for large corporations.

But just how many celebrities turned politicians are there?

The world might never know. That’s because the Screen Actor’s Guild, the union that represents the more than 120,000 members worldwide, doesn’t keep track, according to Pam Greenwalt, SAG’s communication executive director in Los Angeles.

“We just don’t have that type of information,” she says. “And there’s no way we know; we just don’t keep track of that information.”

Still, history shows that many politicians have used their celebrity status to bring benefits to their elected positions and therefore their constituents.

Mr. Villapudua himself has used his cousin, Texas Rangers’ pitcher Eddie Guardado, to benefit the county, according to County Administrator Manuel Lopez.

For the past few years, Mr. Villapudua has brought Mr. Guardado back to Stockton to help in the annual Christmastime A Child’s Smile fundraiser.

Celebrities who go into politics find that it does help in many ways, according to Bob Benedetti, professor of political science at the University of the Pacific in Stockton; in fact, Mr. Schwarzenegger, with his star role in action movies, “rewrote coverage of Sacramento” politics, according to Benedetti.

“People became interested in Sacramento because of Schwarzenegger,” says Mr. Benedetti. “Sacramento became a news beat again; it became revitalized because of his presence.”

Mr. Benedetti credits Mr. Schwarzenegger’s star power and celebrity status “for putting the spotlight on this particular government.”

And it isn’t just Mr. Schwarzenegger; celebrities bring along with them a network of connections to help them with causes or events, according to Mr. Benedetti. “They bring in people that helps draw attention.”

The other fascination with celebrities becoming politicians is that “Americans like the idea that people can come into politics laterally, from other areas of accomplishments,” says Mr. Benedetti. After all, none of the actors who entered politics were considered leaders before they entered politics.

In Europe, politicians are somewhat groomed to enter politics, according to the UOP professor. In the United States, politicians sometimes had other careers.

What really helps the celebrity turn politician is that they’ve had public exposure, that one-on-one and face-to-face skills that they’ve honed to perfection; and they k now how to work the media, according to Mr. Benedetti.

That skill and media influence can be seen in the Sacramento’s mayor’s office where former National Basketball Association player Kevin Johnson is mayor.

“It’s been absolutely great for us,” says Steve Maviglio, spokesman for the city of Sacramento. “He’s brought international attention” to the capitol city. In fact, because of Mr. Johnson’s prior career in the NBA, there have been 650 or more media requests for interviews from around the world, says Mr. Maviglio.

“He’s put the spotlight on Sacramento,” Mr. Maviglio says. “The bottom line is that he opens doors that could never have been opened, whether it’s trying to keep the Kings here through his NBA connections or trying to get business connections; he’s opened a lot of doors.”

And while others might say it’s been Mr. Schwarzenegger who’s brought fame and attention to Sacramento, Mr. Maviglio is quick to remind them that the governor doesn’t live in Sacramento -- “he flies home every night.”

(About the writer: Les Mahler is a veteran reporter and editor in the Central Valley and Bay Area.)