No budget? No worries as Schwarzenegger hits Vegas

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — How's Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger killing time between budget negotiations? Vegas, baby!

Schwarzenegger said "Hasta la vista" to his day job for a few hours on Wednesday, jetting off to Las Vegas to help his friend, Sylvester Stallone, promote his new action flick "The Expendables." The governor makes a cameo appearance in the film, which is about a group of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a dictator on a South American island.

On Thursday, Schwarzenegger posted a short video clip on Twitter showing him riding down an escalator with Stallone toward a throng of cheering fans.

"While I'm in meetings at the Capitol, thought you might enjoy an 'on the red carpet' video from last night," Schwarzenegger said in his tweet.

On Wednesday night, he posted a picture on Twitter and Facebook of the two aging action heroes having sushi at what appears to be a restaurant inside Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino along the Las Vegas Strip.

"Had a great time w/ Sly and the cast of Expendables, now back home," Schwarzenegger tweeted around 10 p.m.

The governor's office reported Schwarzenegger left the state for a few hours Wednesday night.

Last week, Schwarzenegger attended the Hollywood premiere of "The Expendables" at Grauman's Chinese Theatre, where he was met by a less adoring crowd.

State workers, not letting him escape the troubles of governing California, picketed the event with signs that read: "State Workers Are Not Expendable."

The governor reportedly entered the theater from the back as a security precaution.

Members of the Service Employees International Union 1000, the largest state workers union, planned to protest the movie Friday in San Francisco, San Diego and Sacramento. On SEIU 1000's website, members were encouraged to distribute protest fliers and picket outside movie theaters.

State workers remain sore at the Republican governor for trying to furlough them three days a month until California resolves its $19 billion budget shortfall. A state appellate court on Thursday denied Schwarzenegger's request to continue with a second round of furloughs, forcing him to appeal to the California Supreme Court.

The three-day-a-month furloughs had translated into a roughly 14 percent pay cut for state workers.

Schwarzenegger also is demanding a series of pension reforms as part of budget negotiations.

Tags: entertainment, movie, governor, california