Governor reduces sentence of Hispanic politician's son

On his final night in office, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reduced the prison sentence of the son of former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nuñez, Esteban Nuñez, who had pleaded guilty to participating in the killing of a college student. Esteban Nuñez, now 21, was sentenced to 16 years in prison for his role in the stabbing death of Luis Santos. Schwarzenegger cut the prison term to seven years. Schwarzenegger's action infuriated the victim's family. Fabian Nuñez, a Democrat who is no longer in the Legislature, grew close to the governor while he was speaker. The two worked together to pass the state's landmark global warming law, a signature achievement of Schwarzenegger's tenure. Nuñez is now a business partner of the governor's chief political adviser at the consulting firm Mercury Public Affairs.