"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger late Monday vetoed three landmark bills drafted after last year's San Francisco Bay oil spill that would have required quicker response to oil spills
and increased a fee to help fund oil spill oversight," report Edwin Garcia and Paul Rogers in the Merc News.
"The governor also signed a measure to toughen regulations
at wave pools in response to a child's drowning last year at Great America Amusement Park
in Santa Clara, and approved another bill making it
a crime for animal-rights activists to publicize the addresses of researchers
with the intent of causing them harm.
"The measures, signed and vetoed Monday and over the
weekend, are among hundreds of bills Schwarzenegger
has approved as today's deadline approaches for accepting or rejecting measures
recently passed by the Senate and Assembly.
"Schwarzenegger signed seven bills Monday in response
to the November mishap when a Chinese cargo ship, the
Cosco Busan, struck a support of the Bay Bridge and
dumped more than 50,000 gallons of bunker fuel into San Francisco Bay.
"But the governor disappointed environmentalists by
killing of the three most far-reaching measures."
"Chain restaurants in California will have to display calorie counts with each menu
item -- the first state law of its kind in the nation -- under legislation that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
plans to sign today," reports Patrick McGreevy in the Times.
"With two days left to act on hundreds of bills, Schwarzenegger
on Monday approved measures that could ease traffic
in downtown Los Angeles with toll lanes, protect animal
researchers from threats and smooth the effort to achieve
cityhood for East Los Angeles. He rejected a proposal
to remove "communism" as a reason for dismissal from state employment.
"The menu labeling was proposed by state Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) as a way to give restaurant customers more information
about what they eat.
"'The way Californians order food is about to change,' Padilla said in a statement. 'All Californians will soon be empowered with reliable,
accessible nutrition information . . . that will help
them make more informed, healthier choices.'"
Or, they will just ignore them the way they do the
labels on food at the store.
The AP reports: "Bills to make it more difficult for teachers who commit
sex crimes to remain in California's public schools and to authorize privately funded
memorials on the Capitol grounds were signed into law
yesterday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
"But the governor vetoed bills to guarantee stem cell
accessibility and to warn consumers about the dangers
of releasing helium-filled metallic balloons."
In more news from the gov's office, "California will crack down on hazardous chemicals in consumer
products under legislation signed Monday by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger," Jim Sanders reports.
"The two-bill package requires the state to assume more responsibility
by 2011 for identifying, analyzing and regulating such chemicals.
"Schwarzenegger touted the measures as the 'most comprehensive Green Chemistry program ever established.'
"Schwarzenegger's signing of Assembly Bill 1879 and Senate Bill 509 left 300 bills awaiting his action by tonight's midnight deadline. Any bill that he fails to sign
or veto becomes law automatically."
Dan Walters writes on the governor's hyperactive veto pen.
"The budget imbroglio, the governor's threat to veto bills unless it
was resolved, the Legislature's delay in sending him last-minute bills,
the hundreds of vetoes, and his drive to change how
legislative
districts are redrawn every decade worsen his already
acidic
relationship with the Legislature. The relationship
is now so bad that
Schwarzenegger was unable to move a single vote from
his fellow
Republicans on the budget.
"
Clearly, Schwarzenegger is using vetoes to send a message,
more to
the voting public than to the Legislature, that the
state's political
system is dysfunctional and needs change. Clearly,
too, he wants to use
the prolonged budget impasse as a weapon in the campaign
for
Proposition 11, the measure he and political reform groups are
sponsoring to shift legislative redistricting to an
independent
commission."
"California voters who have heard about Proposition 3 on the Nov. 4 ballot are mostly in favor of it, according to a new Field Poll."
Both of them.
"But the possible problem for supporters of the measure
is that few voters have heard of it."
Yeah, uh, what's Prop. 3?
"The initiative seeks voter approval of $980 million in bonds to pay for renovation, expansion
and new equipment at eight private and five University
of California Children's Hospitals.
"The Field Poll, released Monday, found that 47 percent of likely voters said they would vote yes,
vs. 35 percent who replied negatively and 18 percent who said they didn't know.
"But just 18 percent of the 830 surveyed statewide in mid-September said they had heard of the measure before
being told about it by pollsters."
In more initiative news, the Bee's Steve Weigand reports: "Frustrated at the Legislature's annual inability to pass a state budget on time,
the California Grange – the state's oldest agricultural fraternal group – is pondering an initiative that would not only block lawmakers
from being paid when a budget is late, but fine them
for it, too.
"'I think it will pass,' said Michael Greene, director of legislative affairs for the Grange. 'We think there are really a lot of people out there
who have been adversely affected with the budget being
late year after year.'
But would it be constitutional?
"Delegates to the 10,000-member group's 136th annual meeting in Sacramento in two weeks will vote
on whether to pursue placing an initiative before voters
at a special election next year or at a regular election
in 2010."
"Backers of an initiative to ban same-sex marriage began airing their first commercial Monday, warning that a loss could lead to gay marriage being
"taught in public schools" and that churches could lose their tax-exempt status," reports Dan Morain in the Times.
"Proposition 8's promoters said their initial ad buy was $10 million. They hope to raise $3.6 million more by the Nov. 4 election. Foes are spending roughly similar sums.
"The Yes-on-8 commercial opens with San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom declaring to a cheering audience: 'It is going to happen now, whether you like it or not.'"
Hey, Gavin, think of all the free press you're getting before that big 2010 gubernatorial run.
"The 30-second commercial notes that four judges in a recent
4-3 California Supreme Court decision opened the way for
same-sex marriage and warns that if Proposition 8 fails, people could be sued over their personal beliefs,
churches could lose tax-exempt status and 'gay marriage' would be 'taught in public schools.'"
Speaking of those teevee ads, the Bee's Aurelio Rojas gives the treatment to Lois Wolk's iPhone spot slamming Greg Aghazarian for taking per
diem. In Aghazarian's own ads, he's being very careful not to mention his party affiliation.
Hint for all you confused voters -- it starts with an "R"...
And finally, "A chili challenge to find out who could handle the
hottest sauce may have killed a food nut.
"Andrew Lee had a bet with his girlfriend's brother over who could eat the home-made concoction. But hours after eating it, the 33-year-old was found dead in bed after suffering an apparent
heart attack."
Guess we know who won that one...
