While California Dreams: A Weekly Update on the Goings-on in Sacramento

[courtesy of California Progress Report]

Key bills and issues we’ve been following during the past week and beyond

By Hannah Beth Jackson

Now that the dust has settled and the Governor has disposed of 964 bills by either signing or vetoing them, we will devote this update to just what did and did not become law this legislative year. Remembering that a legislative session is comprised of two calendar years, there are many bills that have not been resolved that will have an opportunity to proceed in the coming year. We'll be following them when the legislative session reconvenes in early January.

In the weeks to come, we'll be taking a closer look at the various ballot measures that have qualified for the February, 2008 ballot, those that are still pending and those that are emerging for consideration between the June and November 2008 elections.

Just what this legislative year accomplished --- or not.

On the whole, a number of small steps were accomplished by the legislature and signed into law by the Governor. Since the Governor gets the final say, for all intents and purposes (it's been a long time since we've seen the legislature muster up the necessary 2/3rds vote to override a veto), all eyes look to him for the ultimate analysis. In this case, it can be said that Schwarzenegger pleased his Chamber of Commerce allies, frustrated the gun lobby, and surprised some of the "conventional wisdom" that he so very much likes to confound. Overall, the governor vetoed 22% of the measures that got to his desk which is a new record. This figure includes the signing of 750 bills and vetoes of 214.

Much of what he signed and vetoed was predicable and predicted. He rejected the health care proposal authored by Speaker Fabian Nunez (AB 8), Senator Perata's water-development plan and all the falsely but effectively captioned "job-killer" bills opposed by the California Chamber of Commerce which primarily represents the interests of the largest corporations doing business in this state. In keeping score between the Lions (big business) and the Gladiators (in this case, the public-consumers), this year it was the Lions 12 and the Gladiators 0. And there were many others that the Chamber didn't like that the Governor disposed of with his veto pen as well.

On the other hand, the Governor signed a number of bills that surprised Sacramento insiders, befitting that the Governor loves keeping everyone off-balance.

Regular and Special Session- California's Perennial Water Problems