Calif. is broke, but tab to protect Arnold is off the charts.

[cboy4]

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, shown with his security detail and handlers in 2003, has been
seen with as many as seven bodyguards.

Phillip Matier,Andrew Ross
Monday, January 28, 2008

The cost to taxpayers of protecting Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and California's other top officials has nearly tripled since the Governator took office, to close to $38 million a year, figures obtained by The Chronicle show.

The California Highway Patrol, which guards the officials, won't release budget figures covering just the governor out of security considerations. But it's pretty clear from what people tell us that the big spending isn't on the state schools superintendent or the insurance commissioner - it's on Schwarzenegger.

Five years ago, during Gray Davis' last year in office, the CHP spent $14.4 million providing security to the governor and six other constitutional officers, plus state appeals and Supreme Court judges and building grounds. Last year, the total was $37.6 million, documents show.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/01/28/BA2RULB1V.DTL