Veto(es)

Gov. officially vetoed AB 849, the gay marriage bill. Speaker Fabian Nunez had this to say: “I am deeply disappointed that the Governor chose to veto AB 849 and let the courts make the tough decisions for him. We are all God’s children and we all deserve to be treated equally under the law. History will show that Governor Schwarzenegger had a chance to end the last vestige of legal discrimination in our state. Instead of choosing the way of the future the Governor has aligned himself with the enemies of equal rights for all.” I spoked in haste before. The governor gave the following reasons for vetoing AB 849: I am returning Assembly Bill 849 without my signature because I do not believe the Legislature can reverse an initiative approved by the people of California. I am proud California is a leader in recognizing and respecting domestic partnerships and the equal rights of domestic partners. I believe that lesbian and gay couples are entitled to full protection under the law and should not be discriminated against based upon their relationships. I support current domestic partnership rights and will continue to vigorously defend and enforce these rights and as such will not support any rollback... This bill simply adds confusion to a constitutional issue. If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this bill is not necessary. If the ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective. [UPDATE]The governor also vetoed Sally Lieber's minimum wage bill, AB 48. Here's part of what he had to say: It is essential to those working at or near the minimum wage that the adequacy of the wage is reviewed on a regular basis and raised when appropriate. The minimum wage has not been increased since 2002, and I believe it is now appropriate. This is a position I made very clear to the author. However, I have also made it clear that I do not support automatic increases to the wage that relieve elected officials of their duty to consider all of the impacts each increase to the wage will have on workers and businesses.