Clint v Arnie: stars tussle over toll road

Ever wondered what would happen if the Terminator and Dirty Harry were pitted against each other? California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has decided not to renew his old friend Clint Eastwood's position on the State Park and Recreation Commission. "I think it was just somebody got a bee under their bonnet," Eastwood remarked. The Hollywood icon is not the only one culled from the board - Schwarzenegger has even fired his own brother-in-law, Bobby Shriver, and the two sacked employees have been joking about who should be offended most.

Arnie's explanation was that it was about time some others were given a go. He neglected to mention the disputed matter of the coastal toll road he wanted to build through San Onofre State Beach, a picturesque Orange County park important to surfers and American Indians alike. Eastwood and Shriver have campaigned, successfully up to this point, against plans for a six lane freeway that Schwarzenegger believes will ease inland congestion and reduce pollution.

Eastwood, now 77, was a surfer before surfing was cool, and has spent time in San Onofre since the 1950s. He was philosophical about his dismissal: "The parks is a voluntary job, and it's just a job you do, when they need you. It was fun. . . . They make changes, and that's their prerogative. It's not like I need a day job."