Bermuda delegates at this week?s RIMS insurance conference stand a chance of meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The California Governor and box office superstar could make a personal appearance at the conference, which kicked off last night in San Diego.

According to RIMS (Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc.) public relations officer Sarah Hemingway, Gov. Schwarzenegger could be dropping in on the delegates some time this week.

She told yesterday that his visit was being worked on but final confirmation and details were not yet in hand.

The Governor?s press office did not return calls from yesterday.

More than 200 representatives from Bermuda?s insurance sector are in California this week to attend the conference.

RIMS, which takes place each spring, is the insurance industry?s event of the year and has drawn more than 10,000 to San Diego, the southern most city in California.

Gov. Schwarzenegger?s possible appearance at RIMS could give him the opportunity to sell workers compensation legislation just passed by the state?s legislature with it having garnered majority support from both the assembly and senate on Friday.

Gov. Schwarzenegger has won a lot of points among his political peers for getting the revamp of the state?s workers compensation system through, and in a relatively short time having only taken office five months ago.

The San Diego Union-Tribune reported yesterday that the Governor?s star appeal now extended far beyond the fan club he courts as a movie star.

The newspaper reported that legislators now ?seemed a little star-struck as well?, with his winning praise as a man of action and a tough negotiator.

?His whole theory on life is action, action ? get the job done,? senate president Pro Tempore John Burton told the Tribune.

But those in the insurance industry may withhold praise until they have seen if Gov. Schwarzenegger?s promise of up to 30 percent in premium reductions for state businesses insuring workers on the job becomes a reality.

The state has, at least until now, seen a lot of business go elsewhere because its workers compensation system results in high costs for employers and the possibility of higher awards than in other states, if a case goes to court.

About 20 percent of the more than a million workers compensation cases do go to court in California each year, according to statistics from the New York-based Insurance Information Institute. The level of court cases has cost the state a pretty penny with 180 judges being appointed just to hear these cases.

One RIMS delegate from Indiana, who handles the risk management for a manufacturing company with 17 plants across America, told that California was a state where they did a lot of business but they had made a conscious decision to not have operations here because of its ?very broken? workers compensation system.

Other risk managers seemed to share that sentiment with RIMS making public the results of a survey last Wednesday on the matter.

Of the 260 corporate risk managers who took part, many said California may be losing out.

Ninety-two percent said that it costs their company more to operate in California than in any other states. And almost half of the respondents believe that the current situation is a major factor in deciding to move operations in or out of California.

But Gov. Schwarzenegger is banking on corporations reversing their no California state.

On Friday, the Governor said in a press statement: ?Today we have another victory for California. I promised in my campaign that we would reform our state?s broken workers? compensation system and today we have the results.

?Our bill provides strong reform that will save jobs, reduce costs for our employers and improve care for injured workers. Our state can now become once again the job-creating machine it once was. With meaningful workers? compensation reform, California is open for business.?