David Pecker's Man in Sacramento

Did California GovernorArnold Schwarzenegger’s contract with American Mediainfluence his voting record? Or is he just a musclehead? Sources say theL.A. Times is investigating whether Schwarzenegger’s roleas “executive editor” at AMI titles Muscle & Fitnessand Flex was behind his recent veto of a bill aimed at curtailing thecontroversial use of performance-enhancing supplements by high school students—thesame supplements whose ad dollars provide the majority of revenue at both magazines, according to AMI spokesman StuZakim.

As the New Yorker previously reported, Schwarzenegger was appointedto the post after a March 2004 meeting in which AMI CEO DavidPecker promised the then gubernatorial candidate that the company’stabloids—the National Enquirer, Star, and Globe—would “lay off” the ass-grabbing action star inreturn for his cooperation, which consists of occasional editorials and apopular advice column called “Ask Arnold.” (Pecker denies making the statement.) Schwarzenegger—who has admitted using steroids and supplements to further his own body-building career—defended the veto in a Flex magazine editorial, saying, “Dietary supplements are of use to everyone, not just athletes...Even in children, vitamins bolster growth and health.” Reps for the now atrophied action hero declined to comment.