Governor Schwarzenegger’s allies have taken the first step towards giving him the same leverage on budget reforms that he used last year: the threat of an initiative.

The Attorney General’s office has received a request to prepare the title and summary of an initiative that mirrors Schwarzenegger’s proposals for reforming budget deliberations, education spending, and transportation spending.

You’ll remember that last week, the governor said he would ask the Legislature to place all three issues before the voters. One proposal would trigger across-the-board spending cuts if lawmakers failed to solve a deficit; the other two would remove any ability to borrow money from the schools (under Proposition 98) or transportation programs (under Proposition 42).

Now, according to the Attorney General’s website, the very same proposals have been submitted as potential initiatives by Bill Hauck. Hauck, who is the chairman of the California Business Roundtable and co-chairman of the California Performance Review Commission, is also a well-known ally of the governor.

This is the first step towards gathering signatures and placing these reforms directly on the ballot… most likely, a special election ballot.

The governor’s communications director, Rob Stutzman, says the governor has not endorsed any proposed initiatives. “He’s still hopeful the Legislature will join him in enacting reforms,” Stutzman said in an e-mail seeking comment.

Nonetheless, it seems likely the initiative would give the governor yet another chance to use what he likes to call the “carrot and stick” approach with the Legislature: get on board, or get out of the way.