This weekend was a flurry of bill signings and vetos,
as the governor works through nearly 900 bills that were on his desk. He must act on every
bill by midnight tomorrow. The ones that he does not
act upon will automatically become law.
The guv has already vetoed 131 bills on Sunday alone by John Wildermuth's count. And he's just getting started...
"The governor vetoed 131 bills Sunday, bringing his total for 2008 to
278. With 341 bills remaining to be dealt with, Schwarzenegger has
a
good chance of surpassing the 311 vetoes he handed out in 2004.
"The governor is putting much of the blame for his nay-saying on the
Legislature's nearly three-month delay in getting a budget passed.
Schwarzenegger signed only a single bill during that
time and put the
heat on the lawmakers by threatening to veto every
bill passed by the
Legislature."
Among the bills still on his desk are a group of bills dealing with health insurance. The LAT's Jordan Rau reports, "As insurers try to limit their payouts and new treatments
become
available, patients are finding more gaps in what their
medical
policies will cover. As he considers 10 bills passed by the Legislature
that would expand what insurers are required to pay
for, Gov. Arnold
Schwarzenegger must balance improved medical coverage
-- for those who
have it -- with the risk of driving costs so high that people
can't
afford it.
The new health coverage requirements include maternity services; tests for the HPV virus, which can cause cervical cancer; and treatment for most mental health and substance abuse
problems. The broadest would enhance existing medical
coverage for 18
million Californians. The narrowest would help a few
hundred patients."
Together, the new mandates would increase premiums
by $383 million a
year, or 0.5% of the $74 billion employers and individuals now pay to
insurers each year, according to the California Health Benefits Review Program,
a University of California office that analyzes such
proposals for the
Legislature. The premium increases affecting maternity
and mental
health mandates alone would prompt 3,200 people to drop their coverage,
UC experts estimate.
"Daniel
Zingale, Schwarzenegger's senior advisor on healthcare, said the
governor is looking at the bills warily after the Legislature
rejected
his proposals for overhauling the state's healthcare system, including
Schwarzenegger's ideas for keeping costs down."
Ah, revenge...
Nancy Vogel reports the governor has already vetoed the Kanye West bill. "A measure intended to prevent cosmetic surgery-related deaths fell
victim to a rash of vetoes Sunday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
The
bill was written after the death last November of Donda
West, mother of
rapper Kanye West. The 58-year-old woman died one day after breast
reduction and liposuction surgery, and an autopsy found
health
problems, including high blood pressure and cardiac
artery blockage."
And he vetoed the Paris Hillton bill.
AP reports, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is vetoing a bill to fine
motorists $35 for sharing the driver's seat with lapdogs or other animals.
"Republican Assemblyman Bill Maze says the practice
is distracting.
He introduced the bill after seeing a woman driving
with three dogs on
her lap."
"Schwarzenegger says he's signing only bills that are "the highest priority for California." And a lapdog ban isn't one of them."
And he wouldn't want to anger all of his Hollywood friends, right?
Dan Walters analyzes some of the reasons the budget delay went on so long. "For those who read the signals, the record-long budget impasse
revealed many of the Capitol's institutional foibles. Although it often
appears to be simply the grounds for partisan war,
in fact there are
many other factors that influence events, including
a traditional
rivalry between the two houses, the personalities and
ambitions of
individual politicians and, at times, emotion.
"Not only was Bass
new to the interplay among legislative leaders, for
example, but she
displayed some indecisiveness in dealings with her
peers ...
"By the same token,
Schwarzenegger's inability to sway even two Republican senators to
accept a temporary tax increase prolonged the stalemate.
Anti-tax
activists had locked down GOP opposition to taxes,
and when any
Republican legislator, such as Bakersfield Sen. Roy
Ashburn, showed
indications of wavering, they lowered the boom, warning
of party
retaliation.
"Schwarzenegger fumed privately that several Republicans
told him they could accept temporary taxes but feared
retribution.
"The
fact that Perata was a lame duck, soon to be forced
out of the
Legislature by term limits, also contributed to the
dissonance. He was
eager to wage the fight for taxes, once vowing to hold
up the budget
until Thanksgiving or later if necessary – but he and other Democrats
finally accepted the get-out-of-town budget."
The Chron's John Wildermuth takes a look at Proposition 11, while the Bee's Jim Sanders wonders whether the budget standoff may help the strugging
redistricting initiative.
"Like a giant "kick me" sign, California's budget morass is drawing lawmakers into the fire
of a November ballot fight.
"Gov.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and other backers of an initiative
to strip
lawmakers of authority to draw political districts
are seizing
ammunition from the record 85-day delay in passing a budget.
"Satisfaction with lawmakers has plunged to a record
low, with only
15 percent of voters approving of their performance,
a Field Poll found
this month.
"But will budget anger alone decide Proposition 11's fate?
"Not
likely, judging from balloting over the past 25 years, when low
legislative approval ratings were common but voters
rejected
redistricting measures five times – by large margins, records show."
Meanwhile, this weekend, the state GOP decided to stay neutral on Prop 11. "Former party chairman Duf Sundheim said Democrats who oppose the initiative will try
to sell it as a Republican power grab. The party's endorsement might not help.
"Some Republicans also argue the measure's reforms aren't tough enough. Linda Boyd of Los Angeles, a member of the party's resolutions committee, said Republicans are split
on the measure.
"'There is a lot of controversy on this issue and a lot
of people don't feel that this is the right bill to put forward at
this time,' she said yesterday."
Matier and Ross report that DiFI is prepping to be the master or ceremonies at
the next presidential innauguration.
"No matter who wins the presidency, come Inauguration
Day, Sen. Dianne Feinstein will
take center stage - the first woman and first Californian to emcee at
the swearing-in of the new president on the west lawn of the Capitol.
Even husband Dick Blum, chairman
of University of California Board of Regents, will
get into the act -
escorting the incoming first lady to the podium.
"Feinstein got the job by virtue of her role as chairwoman
of the
Senate Rules Committee, which in turn led to her being
named chairwoman
of the Joint Congressional Committee on Inaugural Ceremonies
- the body
responsible for the swearing-in.
The LAT's John Mitchell looks at the race for LA County Supervisor between Bernard Parks
and Mark Ridley-Thomas. "Parks and Ridley-Thomas have already waged the most expensive
campaign fight in county history. But with less than
six weeks to go,
they are also grappling with the possibility that they
may have only
scratched the surface of the voter pool.
"Nearly four times as many voters are likely to cast
ballots in November
as did in the June primary, when the turnout was roughly
21%."
And finally, the rash of foreclosures in the Central
Valley has been a boon for one Stockton entrepeneur. "A Stockton company that paints dead lawns green is
busier than ever because of the foreclosure
crisis. The business is called Greener Grass Company
and 40 times a
month, owner Nick Terlouw is making brown yards look
green again.
"'If it rained tonight, it wouldn't wash off.
It takes about two hours to dry and lasts three or
four months,' said Terlouw.
"Terlouw is hired by real estate agents, but also by
the city of
Stockton when a foreclosure case becomes a code enforcement
issue.
He's worked for the city about a 100 times."
Somebody may want to give his number to Laura Richardson...
