Schwarzenegger's cigar tent flooded

Link : http://uk.news.yahoo.com/040923/80/f360d.html


SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's favourite smoking den, an outdoor retreat he favours for meetings with state powerbrokers, has been temporarily snuffed out by flooding, aides say.


A storm dumped more than two inches (5 cm) of rain in less than an hour on Sacramento, California, on Sunday, overwhelming the Capitol's drainpipes, including one in the courtyard where Schwarzenegger has a custom-made cabana-style "smoking tent" he uses to skirt restrictions on indoor smoking.


State officials are looking into whether artificial grass installed under the tent contributed to the flooding in the courtyard by blocking a drainpipe. Offices around the courtyard suffered water damage.


Schwarzenegger, who has appeared on the cover of Cigar Aficionado magazine, set up the tent to have a place to smoke and it has become one of his favourite places to hold meetings in Sacramento.


Health advocates have said Schwarzenegger's tent sets a bad example and violates the spirit of the smoking ban in effect inside the state Capitol.