OAKLAND, Calif. – Senator McCain of Arizona put his political celebrity to work yesterday for Governor Schwarzenegger, who is struggling to persuade California voters to approve a series of reform-oriented ballot measures next month.

The joint appearances in Northern and Southern California yesterday appeared intended to transfer some of Mr. McCain’s reputation as a political reformer to Mr. Schwarzenegger, who was swept into office two years ago on a reform platform but has since fallen out of favor with much of the public.

“He’s got principle. He’s got determination, and he’s got guts to take on the special interests,” Mr. McCain said addressing an audience of women business owners and Republican activists. “He and I have a lot in common.”

Mr. McCain, whose unsuccessful 2000 bid for the GOP presidential nomination attracted support from many independents and even some Democrats, said California has an opportunity to set the political agenda for the nation.

“This isn’t about Republican or Democrat or Libertarian or vegetarian. This is about reform, and if we can reform here, my dear friends, we can reform everywhere,” the senator said.

Mr. McCain spoke spontaneously about only one of the ballot measures, an initiative that would take the drawing of state and federal election districts out of the hands of the Legislature and hand that power over to a panel of retired judges. The senator argued that overhauling the redistricting process would rejuvenate the political system by encouraging more contested elections.

“More people lose their seats in the Politburo in Havana than in the Congress of the United States of America,” the senator said. “We’ve got to have a clash of ideas.”

Mr. Schwarzenegger expressed frustration that many Californians had unrealistic expectations about his ability to bring about major political changes single-handedly. “They sent the Terminator up to Sacramento thinking that I can terminate all the problems, but it is not that easy,” the governor said. “The same system still exists.”

Mr. Schwarzenegger portrayed the upcoming election as a sequel to the historic recall vote that placed him in the governor’s office in 2003.”The same system still exists,” he said. “November 8th is the time to recall the broken system.”

In response to a question from the audience, Mr. McCain said he also supports another ballot measure that would require unions to get annual written consent before using a member’s dues for political purposes. “This is not about union-bashing. We respect and cherish the right of all Americans to join unions and organize,” the senator said. “This is about the rights of the individual to keep their hard-earned money and do with it what they please.”

Mr. Schwarzenegger is also promoting an initiative to make public school teachers wait longer to receive tenure and another measure to give the governor greater power to limit state spending.

No measure on the ballot addresses illegal immigration, but the politically explosive issue nearly sidetracked the discussion here after an audience member asked about the subject.

“It costs the state of California billions of dollars. There’s no two ways about it,” Mr. Schwarzenegger said. This prompted Mr. McCain, who dubbed his campaign bus “The Straight Talk Express,” to launch into a rant about the problem of controlling the border with Mexico.

“This issue is horrendous,” the senator said. “People’s homes are being destroyed. Their land is being destroyed, in Arizona, our wildlife refuges. Hundreds of millions of dollars in health care costs. … Most importantly of all, probably, it’s a national security issue.”

Mr. McCain went on to outline legislation he has proposed, with Senator Kennedy, a Democrat of Massachusetts, to offer a guest-worker program and earned legalization for foreigners. He said those who oppose the bill can offer no cogent plan for removing an estimated 11 million illegal aliens from America. “Tell me exactly how you do that? Airlift? Bus? Train?” he asked.

The senator’s remarks drew booing and critical comments from some in the audience who favor a tougher approach toward illegal immigrants.

“It is possible to take those folks who are here illegally and return them to their native country,” a bilingual program teacher, Lisa Disbrow, 53, said after being called on by the governor. “It’s a matter of will, and I hope and pray the state of California decides that respect for our laws is primary.”

“There’s never been a movement of 11 million people in the history of this country,” Mr. McCain said, before the discussion returned to the upcoming election.

The discussion about forcibly repatriating millions of foreigners could not have been a welcome one for Mr. Schwarzenegger’s aides, who are working to repair his image with Latinos, most of whom have roots in Mexico. A recent poll put the governor’s approval rating with Hispanics at 16%. The selection of the largely female audience appeared intended to narrow a pronounced gender gap in the governor’s support.

Speaking to reporters, Mr. McCain declined to criticize his host for speaking to a hand-picked crowd but added, “I’ve always conducted my events first-come, first-served.”

At a press conference just steps from where the two Republican politicians appeared, a Democratic candidate for governor, Philip Angelides, denounced the special election as a testament to Mr. Schwarzenegger’s incompetence. “He just needs to do his job,” Mr. Angelides said. “This election makes no sense.”