Sacramento, California -- As California Republicans arrived here for their three-day state convention amid early maneuvering by '08 presidential hopefuls, it was clear that the early favorite for president among conventioneers was Rudy Giuliani.

The former New York mayor's arrival in the city was a major story on local television news. Moreover, speculation over who Giuliani would tap for his campaign team for the February 5th presidential primary next year was a hot topic of conversation in the lobby of the Hyatt Regency Hotel before Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's after-dinner address tonight.

Giuliani is scheduled to give the convention's luncheon address tomorrow afternoon and, as Delegate and Sacramento GOP political consultant Valerie Spake told me, "a lot more people are coming to hear Rudy at lunch than Arnold at dinner. They've had to get another room to accommodate all the people who want to go the luncheon on Saturday."

The 62-year-old Giuliani's campaign in California is headed up by '02 Republican gubernatorial nominee William Simon, Jr. Among those being talked of for a key position in the Giuliani statewide effort here is Steve Frank, longtime conservative activist and former parliamentarian of the state GOP. Along with his luncheon address, Giuliani is scheduled to speak later in the day to a meeting of Asian-American Republicans, including State Board of Equalization Member Michelle Steel, the highest-elect Korean American in the nation, and State Assemblyman Van Tran of Orange County, the son of refugees from the former South Vietnam. This evening, Giuliani held a closed-door meeting in his hotel suite with about thirty state assemblymen, among them such noted conservatives as Michael DuVall of Orange County, Paul Cook of Yuca Valley, and Martin Garrick of San Diego.

"I have to say, I came away impressed -- very impressed," one of the legislators (who requested anonymity) told me after the meeting tonight. "Rudy knew quite a bit about Iraq and warned what a terrible message it would send if we pulled out. He had a lot of knowledge about the Middle East, including some things about the conflict between Sunni and Shia and about Egypt."

Regarding Giuliani's controversial pro-choice stand on abortion, the same legislator (who also volunteered that "my wife and I are very pro-life") told me "Rudy said 'I'm for adoption, not abortion' and said he would like to see the children whose parents are going to abandon them adopted. He brought out statistics showing how the number of abortions declined in New York while he was mayor."

Dubbing himself "neutral at this point," the legislator quickly added "But now, I'm leading to Rudy."