Not So Fast.(ISSUES & INSIGHTS)(EDITORIALS)(Editorial)

California: To hear the latest chatter, you might think hope of real reform was dead along with Arnold Schwar- zenegger's political future. But we see signs of life.

One of those signs is that the governor shows no sign of folding. He has refused to cancel the special election he called for November and has been out on the road in campaign mode, talking up his reform plans and raising money.

Another is that the two most important reform measures are still on the November ballot, and no one seems able to knock them off.

One would force unions to get each member's consent to have dues money diverted to political activity. Schwarzenegger does not formally back it, but it's in line with his political goals. The other, which he endorses, would set new limits on state spending and give governors power to enforce them.

There's no denying that Schwarzenegger has been through a rough patch. He prematurely scrapped an initiative to shift new state workers to less costly defined contribution plans. His initiative to turn legislative redistricting over to a panel of retired judges is in legal limbo -- its fate to be decided by an appeals court -- because of minor differences between the text circulated for signatures and the version filed with the state attorney general.

Schwarzenegger's foes have had their fun with his politically embarrassing ties to the bodybuilding business. And the union ads, lambasting him for supposedly stealing money from the schools, just won't quit.

But is his reform agenda "falling apart," as the San Jose Mercury News put it the other day? Not as long as the special election is still on and not as long ...