Democratic California Gov. Gavin Newsom left Arnold Schwarzenegger’s name off the list of inductees into the California Hall of Fame on Monday.
An attendee said people gathered at the California Museum to hear Newsom read off the names during a reception previewing the incoming class, and were surprised when he reached the end of the list without naming Schwarzenegger, according to a report published Tuesday by Politico.
ATLANTA, GEORGIA – JUNE 27: Gov. Gavin Newsom (D-CA) speaks to reporters in the spin room following the CNN Presidential Debate between U.S. President Joe Biden and Republican presidential candidate, former U.S. President Donald Trump at the McCamish Pavilion on the Georgia Institute of Technology campus on June 27, 2024 in Atlanta, Georgia. President Biden and former President Trump are faced off in the first presidential debate of the 2024 campaign. (Photo by Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
Newsom spokesperson Bob Salladay pushed back on allegations that Schwarzenegger’s name was intentionally removed as a result of his vocal opposition of Newsom’s initiatives, and said the planned unveiling of the full class was delayed.
“Nobody’s being snubbed,” Salladay said, according to Politico.
“The list remains the same, and we’re going to have a public announcement in a few months,” he said, noting this would likely occur in November.
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – APRIL 21: Former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger attends an event marking the completion of a 4-acre solar rooftop constructed atop AltaSea’s research and development facility at the Port of Los Angeles, in the San Pedro neighborhood, on April 21, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. The installation will supply enough energy to power AltaSea’s 35-acre campus, the country’s biggest ‘blue economy’ tech hub, which is focused on clean oceans, climate resiliency, and clean energy. (Photo by Mario Tama/Getty Images)
The outlet reported that a number of alumni and members of Schwarzenegger’s alumni were invited to the event with the understanding that he would formally be announced as an inductee.
Schwarzenegger’s spokesperson, Daniel Ketchell, said Schwarzenegger was notified of his planned induction, and is unsure why his name was not announced. He went on to assert that politics have never affected their Hall of Fame decisions, and noted it was Schwarzenegger himself who created the Hall of Fame when he was in office.
“It’s not the Republican Hall of Fame or the Democrat Hall of Fame — it’s the California Hall of Fame,” Ketchell said, according to Politico. (RELATED: Gavin Newsom Seems Upset With Arnold Schwarzenegger After The Terminator Governor Called Him Out)
“He’s not going to worry about it,” he added. “He’s got plenty of awards on his wall that didn’t require being on the same side politically.”