Just when you thought the end of session couldn't get any more fun, a giant game of chicken broke out between the branches of government Tuesday!
Capitol Weekly reports, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened to veto all of the bills sitting on his desk , prompting Senate leader Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento and Speaker Karen Bass, D-Los Angeles, to pull back more than 70 bills.
"Currently, there are 30 Assembly bills and 43 Senate bills on the governor's desk.
Schwarzenegger spokesman Matt David said that the governor wants to ensure the Legislature is progressing on issues including water, prisons and renewable energy before deciding on other legislative matters."
As it turned out, the Assembly pulled back all but one of it's bills. And you'll never guess what happened to that one.
Kevin Yamamura reports, "he Assembly left on his desk a bill that would designate March 30 as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."
"I dare the governor to veto this bill," said Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, before the close of Tuesday's session.
Shortly afterward, Schwarzenegger accepted the dare and vetoed Assembly Bill 264.
"Our state is facing significant challenges, including the need for comprehensive changes in our policies on water, energy, and corrections and the need to take meaningful steps to stimulate the economy and rein in the rising levels of unemployment," Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message. "This bill does nothing to address any of these issues. I look forward to considering this measure when these other major issues are addressed."
"Assemblyman Paul Cook, R-Yucca Valley, a Vietnam veteran who co-authored AB 264 and wears a Marine Corps pin on his lapel, said he was "dismayed and angry."
Welcome to the party, colonel.
CW updates its running list of legislative actions from Tuesday. Among the issues listed are health insurance cancellations, air emission credits, renewable energy, UC executive pay and more.
CW also reports that a vote on a Los Angeles stadium proposal could come as early as today.
The LAT reports health insurers were dealt a legisaltive setback Tuesday, and will look to the governor for help.
"The California Legislature passed a measure Tuesday
that would curtail
the ability of insurance companies to cancel coverage
for patients
diagnosed with serious illnesses.
"The bill addresses a practice
known as rescission, which was the subject of a series
of articles in
The Times exposing how several major healthcare companies,
including
Blue Cross and Health Net Inc., canceled medical coverage
for sick
policyholders.
The practice has since been the subject of probes
by law enforcement agencies in California and sparked
congressional
hearings. Government officials say thousands of policyholders
in
California have had their coverage dropped."
From our Who In The Hell Would ASk This Question In The First Place FIles, the OC Register's Jamie Lynn Fletcher reports,
"While most online readers said a pro-white political party would be too extreme for their taste, about 26 percent of readers who participated in a Register poll said they'd likely join the group.
"A story on the Golden State Party, a self-proclaimed pro-white group pushing for political representation in California, pulled about 285 comments and nearly 600 participants the online poll.
"More than 400 readers said they would not join ranks with the GSP, while 157 readers said they favored their political views. Thirty-three readers said they weren't sure about the new group"
The weird thing about that survey? Half of the respondents were African-American...