Friday, July 23, 2004
Does Florez have running rivalry? Nah
Today's Californian
Thursday July 22nd, 2004
That was no "girlie man" we saw on TV talking about West Nile virus Thursday night.
That was Shafter's lean, mean running machine, state Sen. Dean Florez.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can dredge up that old "Saturday Night Live" bully-taunt to dis Democrats over the stalled budget negotiations if he wants, but from what we understand, he'd better not challenge Florez's physical prowess.
But wouldn't it be fun if he did?
So far, contrary to rumors, no such challenge has been issued.
So says Florez, who conceded Thursday that he, too, has heard the scuttlebutt: that he and the governor have bet on a foot race of unspecified distance.
Not that Florez wouldn't give it a go.
"If he wants to take me up on it, I'm ready," said Florez, who, thanks to a regimen of running, swimming and lifting weights, is back down to his political fighting weight of 170 pounds. He had ballooned to 210 last November, he said.
"Too many nights with (chief of staff) Al Wagner at Der Wienerschnitzel over by (campaign) headquarters," he said.
But the Schwarzenegger rumor has some basis in fact, Florez said.
He was chatting with the governor some time ago, Florez said, and the Sculpted One casually mentioned something about socializing one day over a couple of hand-rolled stogies. Florez told the governor he wasn't much for cigars.
But he'd be happy to slip on his Reeboks and pound the Sacramento pavement sometime, if the Gov was game.
They left it at that. But the legend adds a lively addendum: a date and a wager.
Not true, Florez said, and the governor's press office backs him up. No foot races, no handstand races, no falling-on-the-floor races that anyone knows of, spokesman Darrel Ng said.
Florez, 41, is training for something, though, and it's not just a healthier blood-pressure reading. He's still talking about running for state treasurer, and said the Cruz Bustamante look clearly won't cut it. Coincidentally, Bustamante, the lieutenant governor, is a possible opponent.
He's exercising every day, often twice a day, even sometimes sharing the weight room with Schwarzenegger, who belongs to the same Sacramento gym. (Florez said he avoids the bench press when Arnold is present.)
The keepers of Florez's public image are clearly proud of his trimmer physique. Two aides placed separate phone calls to The Californian's newsroom this week to complain about a head-and-shoulders shot of Florez published July 16 that was apparently snapped about 40 pounds ago.
As for Schwarzenegger's "girlie man" comment, Florez said he's not offended. "I know it was in jest," he said.
But he stopped just short of adding, "Look who's talking."
"It's kind of ironic," Florez said. "He's applied more makeup than anyone in my family ever has -- my wife, my mother, my grandmother -- over the course of their entire lifetimes."
Thursday July 22nd, 2004
That was no "girlie man" we saw on TV talking about West Nile virus Thursday night.
That was Shafter's lean, mean running machine, state Sen. Dean Florez.
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger can dredge up that old "Saturday Night Live" bully-taunt to dis Democrats over the stalled budget negotiations if he wants, but from what we understand, he'd better not challenge Florez's physical prowess.
But wouldn't it be fun if he did?
So far, contrary to rumors, no such challenge has been issued.
So says Florez, who conceded Thursday that he, too, has heard the scuttlebutt: that he and the governor have bet on a foot race of unspecified distance.
Not that Florez wouldn't give it a go.
"If he wants to take me up on it, I'm ready," said Florez, who, thanks to a regimen of running, swimming and lifting weights, is back down to his political fighting weight of 170 pounds. He had ballooned to 210 last November, he said.
"Too many nights with (chief of staff) Al Wagner at Der Wienerschnitzel over by (campaign) headquarters," he said.
But the Schwarzenegger rumor has some basis in fact, Florez said.
He was chatting with the governor some time ago, Florez said, and the Sculpted One casually mentioned something about socializing one day over a couple of hand-rolled stogies. Florez told the governor he wasn't much for cigars.
But he'd be happy to slip on his Reeboks and pound the Sacramento pavement sometime, if the Gov was game.
They left it at that. But the legend adds a lively addendum: a date and a wager.
Not true, Florez said, and the governor's press office backs him up. No foot races, no handstand races, no falling-on-the-floor races that anyone knows of, spokesman Darrel Ng said.
Florez, 41, is training for something, though, and it's not just a healthier blood-pressure reading. He's still talking about running for state treasurer, and said the Cruz Bustamante look clearly won't cut it. Coincidentally, Bustamante, the lieutenant governor, is a possible opponent.
He's exercising every day, often twice a day, even sometimes sharing the weight room with Schwarzenegger, who belongs to the same Sacramento gym. (Florez said he avoids the bench press when Arnold is present.)
The keepers of Florez's public image are clearly proud of his trimmer physique. Two aides placed separate phone calls to The Californian's newsroom this week to complain about a head-and-shoulders shot of Florez published July 16 that was apparently snapped about 40 pounds ago.
As for Schwarzenegger's "girlie man" comment, Florez said he's not offended. "I know it was in jest," he said.
But he stopped just short of adding, "Look who's talking."
"It's kind of ironic," Florez said. "He's applied more makeup than anyone in my family ever has -- my wife, my mother, my grandmother -- over the course of their entire lifetimes."
# posted by Senator Dean Florez @ 11:50 AM 
