[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Democratic Authored Bills Vetoed Over 30% of Time
Republican Bill Veto Rate Under 6%

By Frank D. Russo

For all the talk about post-partisanship, a review of 954 bills that arrived on his desk during the first half of the 2007-08 legislative session shows that he vetoed 197 of the 640 Democratic authored measures that passed and only 13 of the 224 bills presented to him. That means that if you were a Democratic author, you had a 6 times greater likelihood of your bills being vetoed.

Another 90 bills passed to the Governor were "committee bills," authored by neither Democrats or Republicans and in virtually all cases were the product of unanimous committee votes, many of them technical cleanup bills to maintain sections of California law. On those committee bills, Schwarzenegger signed 86 and vetoed 4, for a 4.4% veto record.

The pattern followed by Schwarzenegger showed an increasing veto rate after the session ended in the wee hours of September 12 than before. After they adjourned, Governor Schwarzenegger used 205 of the 214 vetoes he wielded this year.

After the legislature adjourned, he vetoed 190 of the Democratic authored bills (34.8%), 12 of 123 Republican bills (8.9%) and 3 of 54 committee bills or 5.3%.

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Mark Murray
Executive Director
Californians Against Waste

The 2007 legislative session is officially behind us, with mixed results. What began as the most ambitious year for waste reduction and recycling policy since 1989, ended on a decidedly sour note, with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoing the two most significant waste prevention and recycling bills that made it to his desk.

Governor Vetoes Legislation to Require Multifamily Recycling Opportunities

CAW-sponsored AB 548 (Levine) would have required apartment owners to provide recycling services to their tenants. In his veto message, the Governor cites significant costs as a deterrent in the legislation.

The legislation would have expanded recycling opportunities to the more than 7 million Californians living in apartments and other multifamily dwellings that still lack a basic recycling opportunity where they live.

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Over the last few days, we've spend a lot of time talking about the great bills that were signed, and those that were vetoed. But because of the Dem-tilt to the Legislature we rarely get real stinkers passing and heading to the Governor's desk.  Well, congratulations Legislators, you let a real stinker move.  So, without further ado, I give you the freshly minted California law formerly known as AB 1430 (Leg. Analysts's Summary): (Bill info here)

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Over the last few days, we've spend a lot of time talking about the great bills that were signed, and those that were vetoed. But because of the Dem-tilt to the Legislature we rarely get real stinkers passing and heading to the Governor's desk.  Well, congratulations Legislators, you let a real stinker move.  So, without further ado, I give you the freshly minted California law formerly known as AB 1430 (Leg. Analysts's Summary): (Bill info here)

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

By the time he put his pen down less than two hours before the midnight deadline, Governor Schwarzenegger disposed of 964 bills dropped on his desk by the legislature this year. He signed 750 of them and vetoed 214--meaning that 22%--between one-fifth and one-quarter of the measures that ran the gauntlet and received majority votes or higher levels of support in both houses of the legislature--are dead for the year. The only exceptions to this are bills that may pass in the special sessions on health and water that are ongoing. Yesterday, the last day, he signed 80 bills and vetoed 72.

by Julia Rosen [courtesy of Working Californians blogs]

The massive changes to the state's workers comp system went even further than they even expected, according to a new study. They expected that the savings would be $10.1 billion (amounting to a 49% cut), but in reality they have cut $14.5 billion (a 70% cut) in medical treatment and benefit payments. The study's results have strengthened the case that the governor needs to go back and ensure that workers have adequate medical care and benefits. There are a few bills sitting on his desk designed to do just that. SacBee:

Moreover, the report puts pressure on Schwarzenegger to sign a series of workers' compensation bills on his desk or rewrite state rules to determine treatment and benefits, especially those dealing with permanent disabilities.

Medical providers and advocates for injured workers said Wednesday they weren't surprised by the findings. Studies by other workers' compensation experts have reported a similar trend.

"It just reinforces what we have been saying all along. Injured workers have been taking a hit across the board," said Sue Borg, president of the California Applicants Attorneys' Association, which represents injured workers.

read more »

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

By Frank D. Russo

By my count, the Governor had approximately 660 bills on his desk when the legislature adjourned on September 12. Since then, he has taken action on about 110 of them, leaving approximately 550 to be dealt with in the coming week.

That's a fairly high number compared with past years, especially 2006 when the Governor used the month long period of time at the end of a year's session given him under the California Constitution to stage elaborate photo opportunities to sign bills as part of a "Rose Garden" strategy during his re-election campaign.

Schwarzenegger dealt with some of the legislation before adjournment that passed in the last two weeks of the session, for instance vetoing vetoed SB 924 (Perata) which would have allowed an advisory vote on the Iraq War. He did so in the waning hours of the session just a few minutes before midnight when the deadline for his action approached. But for any bills delivered to him after September 14, the last day the legislature could have met under their Joint Rules, he has until Sunday, October 14, 2007 to act.

Since the end of the legislative session, 103 bills by both Republicans and Democrats have been signed into law, and 7 have been vetoed all of them by Democratic authors.