The governor has "left the state," the late Friday email advised Sacramento reporters. Well, where did he go and when might he be back? "It's personal, private," said Margita Thompson, Schwarzenegger's spokeswoman. Peter Nicholas of the Times reports that unofficial sources indicate he's probably at the family getaway in Sun Valley, Idaho. Writes Nicholas:

Schwarzenegger's travel plans have long been a sensitive subject. With a private jet, he is able to leave the state quickly and discreetly. During the transition last year, his office once released a statement saying he was in private meetings. He was in Hawaii.

After Schwarzenegger's appearance at the Republican National Convention in New York last month, aides said he would return to California. But, mid-flight, he detoured to Sun Valley. His office did not correct the record.

"While it's true that even the governor is entitled to privacy once in a while, there's something unnerving about having our chief executive simply vanish for a couple of days without his being able to say where he's going or, generically, what kind of place he's going to or what continent he might be on," said Peter Scheer, executive director of the California First Amendment Coalition.

Since Lt. Gov. Cruz Bustamante is also out of state (on a trade mission to China), Senate President Pro Tem John Burton is the acting governor. "He called me and fired me," said Patricia Clarey, Schwarzenegger's chief of staff. "He does it every time. I love the man."