David Pecker's Man in Sacramento

Did California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s contract with American Media influence his voting record? Or is he just a musclehead? Sources say the L.A. Times is investigating whether Schwarzenegger’s role as “executive editor” at AMI titles Muscle & Fitness and Flex was behind his recent veto of a bill aimed at curtailing the controversial use of performance-enhancing supplements by high school students—the same supplements whose ad dollars provide the majority of revenue at both magazines, according to AMI spokesman Stu Zakim.

As the New Yorker previously reported, Schwarzenegger was appointed to the post after a March 2004 meeting in which AMI CEO David Pecker promised the then gubernatorial candidate that the company’s tabloids—the National Enquirer, Star, and Globe—would “lay off” the ass-grabbing action star in return for his cooperation, which consists of occasional editorials and a popular 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.

Photo: NYDN