New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson's office did not disclose a recent trip to watch a Las Vegas prize fight for which Richardson had ringside seats. The trip became known after Richardson was seen on pay-for-view TV.

In Massachusetts, Gov. Mitt Romney has spent almost half his business days outside the state this year as he pursues his presidential ambitions and serves as chairman of the Republican Governors Association. And in New York, Gov. George Pataki has been traveling to Iowa and New Hampshire as he mulls a presidential run.

California's governor has been gone all or part of 20 days this year, including a two-day trip to Ohio to attend the Arnold Classic bodybuilding competition. On at least seven days his schedules are marked "private," including the four days in April when Bustamante claims Schwarzenegger's absence delayed the disaster order.

The governor's office disputes that there was a delay in the emergency declaration, which accelerated state aid to Merced and other counties. Merced officials sought the declaration April 5, a day when the governor left the state around 8 p.m. Schwarzenegger signed it April 10, a day after returning.

The wait was part of "a process that had to be followed," said Merced County spokeswoman Elaine Post. Bustamante spokesman Stephen Green said with rising water forcing people from their homes, the emergency order clearly was warranted - and the lieutenant governor would have signed the request had he known about it.

While the governor funds his own air travel through a private jet service, the public pays airfare, hotels and other expenses for Schwarzenegger's security detail.

Word of Schwarzenegger's travel often comes after he has left. On Saturday, April 29, his office disclosed that he'd departed California but provided no details. The following Monday, Schwarzenegger's photograph appeared in the New York Post as he browsed clothing racks in Manhattan, and local media reported he had been the beneficiary of a fundraiser at the home of billionaire Ron Perelman.