Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger’s most important task in the coming year may be simple to understand, but much harder to achieve: get back to the political “center” of California.

Former governor Jerry Brown likened it to paddling a canoe a little left, then a little right. His successors as chief executive all also tried to balance themselves in the middle of the political spectrum. And even after winning a second term, the most recent ex-governor– Gray Davis–was fired by the voters after his centrist reputation was eroded by a shift to the left.

On this weekend’s newsmagazine edition of The California Report, we look at how the voters seem to think Schwarzenegger is to the right-of-center… and his prospects for realigning himself in the middle.

[NOTE: This posting was originally written on Friday, but tech issues kept it down until Saturday… audio from this story is now online here]

One of the people interviewed for the story knows all too well how hard that will be, even as he will be one of the forces trying to keep Schwarzenegger off balance. Garry South, former Governor Davis’ top political consigliere, admits that once Davis was thrown by the energy crisis of 2001, he had nowhere to go… but leftward.

“If my experience with Governor Davis is any guide,” says South, “once you fall down as low as [Schwarzenegger] has fallen, and your public approval ratings are in the 30s, and about all you have left is your partisan base, it is very difficult through nuanced actions thereafter to ever recover your public standing.”

Of course, some die-hard Republicans have long been suspicious of the socially moderate Schwarzenegger… and they may not be happy, either.

“Conservatives don’t like him, they don’t think he’s conservative enough,” says GOP political consultant Richard Temple. Temple and his partner Ray McNally actually worked on the campaign against Team Arnold’s initiatives. “And pragmatic Republicans don’t like him, because he’s a loser,” says Temple. “You put those together, and there’s not a lot [for the governor] to be gleeful about.”

So where can Schwarzenegger turn? Field Poll director Mark DiCamillo says he might want to plug back in to voters who have unplugged from political parties: voters registered as “decline to state.”

“That’s where I think the balance of power lies,” says DiCamillo. “And I think if you look at the prevailing political winds, following the opinions and attitudes of non-partisans really will show you where the middle of California politics is.”