Gov. Arnold's Last Move: The Gift Of A Shorter Sentence For Manslaughter Convict Esteban Nunez, Son Of Democratic Player Fabian Nunez

Thanks, Arnold: Esteban Nunez.

We called them the "Bad Little Suburban Boys," the foursome accused in the brutal, beer-fueled stabbing of a San Diego State University student in the fall of 2008. And, true to form, bad little suburban boys, especially ones who are the sons of powerful state politicians, don't get the same justice as everyone else.

In one of his last moves as California's governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger commuted the 16-year sentence of Esteban Nunez, cutting it to seven years late Sunday.

Shocker? Nah.

It's a fitting end to the Arnold era which, despite promises of girlyman bitch slapping, was simply politics as usual. Ironic? Perhaps.

Schwarzenegger used to use Democratic leaders as his whipping boys -- his straw men to show that he was willing to make deep cuts in California's budget while the good ole' boys smoked cigars and hoped for the status quo.

Well, one of those good ole boys was former Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, the convict's father.

Turns out it was all a show.

Arnold and Fabian were pretty tight. A Weekly stalwart was interviewing Fabian at a Beverly Hills cafe one day when he received a mobile-phone call from the governator himself. Fabian teased the gov about how Arnold wanted so bad to show up at a press conference the speaker was having in East L.A. that day.

He probably couldn't have asked for a bigger New Year's gift -- and from a Republican Dem-disser, no less.

We can almost imagine Arnold's rationale: Diss was a good kid with the sewing of the wild oats and de typical drinkink and stabbink and so forth.

Nunez the nino pleaded guilty to one count of manslaughter and two counts of assault with a deadly weapon for his part in the attack on Luis Santos, who was confronted following a frat party at SDSU.

His three co-defendants also took plea deals. Two received probation after a judge ruled that their roles in the attack were not as prominent.

-With reporting from City News Service. Got news? Email us. Follow us on Twitter, too: @dennisjromero.