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Governor Vetoes 273 Bills but Signs 571

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Vetoes

The 273 bills vetoed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger included legislation on the following topics:

BAD MEAT: A bill that would have allowed state health officials to tell local health officers and the public which stores or restaurants may have received shipments of tainted meat. A secrecy agreement between California and the U.S. Department of Agriculture hinders such disclosures. (SB 1585 by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough)

DENTISTS: A bill that would have allowed dentists to perform facial cosmetic surgery. (SB 1336 by Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco)

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DRIVER’S LICENSES: A bill that would have made California’s 2 million illegal immigrants eligible for driver’s licenses. Schwarzenegger said he feared that terrorists would use the documents to infiltrate the country. (AB 2895 by Assemblyman Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles)

DRUGS: Seven of nine bills, all written by Democrats, that were aimed at lowering prescription drug prices for individual Californians and the state itself. Two would have eased consumer access to Canadian pharmacies where drugs cost less. (AB 1957, AB 1958, AB 1960, SB 1144, SB 1149, SB 1333, SB 1563)

E-MAILS: A bill that would have required employers to inform workers if management might ever read their e-mails. (SB 1841 by Sen. Debra Bowen, D-Marina del Rey)

FERRET AMNESTY: A bill that would have made pet ferrets legal and granted amnesty to the more than 100,000 weasel-like animals already kept by Californians, so long as they were spayed or neutered and vaccinated against rabies. Schwarzenegger, who co-starred with a ferret in “Kindergarten Cop,” said the issue needed more study. (SB 89 by Sen. Dede Alpert, D-San Diego)

FOREIGN JOBS: Five labor-backed bills by Democrats that sought to track and curb the movement of jobs overseas. One bill would have banned state agencies from contracting with companies that “outsource” jobs. Another would have required California companies to annually report how many people they employ outside the United States. (AB 1829, AB 2715, AB 3021, SB 888, SB 1492)

GRAPES: A bill that would have banned farmers from requiring workers to test unwashed grapes for ripeness by eating them. Schwarzenegger said existing workplace rules already cover inappropriate practices. (SB 1901 Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Sun Valley)

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MASCOTS: A bill that would have banned public schools from using the term “Redskins” as a team name. Schwarzenegger said such a decision should be left to individual schools. (AB 858 by Assemblywoman Jackie Goldberg, D-Los Angeles)

MATERNITY BENEFITS: A bill that would have required that insurers provide maternity benefits. (SB 1555 by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough)

MINIMUM WAGE: A bill that would have raised the minimum wage from $7.25 an hour to $7.75 an hour in July 2006. (AB 2832 by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View)

PRISON CARE: A bill that would have required that prisoners examined by outside doctors received the medical treatment prescribed, unless certain conditions were met. (AB 2742 by Assemblyman Dennis Mountjoy, R-Monrovia)

PRISON INTERVIEWS: A bill that would have allowed journalists to freely interview inmates inside prisons. (SB 1164 by Sen. Gloria Romero, D-Los Angeles)

PORTS: A bill that would have required the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach to stick to a baseline amount of air pollution set by state regulators. The ports, Southern California’s biggest air polluters, are rapidly expanding. (AB 2042 by Assemblyman Allan Lowenthal, D-Long Beach)

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SICK INMATES: A bill that would have made terminally ill, quadriplegic and otherwise incapacitated prison inmates eligible for early release. (AB 1945 by Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento)

TAX REFUNDS: A bill that would have required tax preparers to tell clients upfront how much they charge for “instant refunds,” which are loans to cover the amount a person expects to get as a tax refund. (AB 2868 by Assemblyman Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles)

WILDFIRES: Four of five bills that were based in part on the recommendations of a commission formed by Schwarzenegger last fall after Southern California wildfires burned more than 3,000 homes. The governor said the bills would have made it harder for firefighters to exercise their discretion over how best to spend money, and it would have diverted money from homeland security. (SB 1611, SB 902, AB 1588, AB 2406)

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Approvals

The 571 bills signed by the governor included legislation on the following topics:

.50-CALIBER RIFLES: A bill banning sale of the long-range weapons starting in January. (AB 50 by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood)

BALLOT PRINTOUTS: A bill requiring that electronic voting systems approved for use in California after January 2005 include paper printouts so voters can check the accuracy of their votes. (SB 1438 by Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine)

BEDROOM PRIVACY: A bill adding the bedroom to the list of places, such as restrooms and dressing rooms, where it is illegal to film or photograph someone without their knowledge. (SB 1484 by Sen. Dick Ackerman, R-Irvine)

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CAMPAIGN DEBT: A bill prohibiting candidates from having more than $100,000 in outstanding debt at any time, regardless of whether they loaned themselves money or borrowed through a bank. (SB 1449 by Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine)

CARPOOL LANES: A bill allowing solo drivers of hybrid vehicles to use carpool lanes. It applies to cars that get at least 45 miles per gallon, including the Honda Civic Hybrid, Honda Insight and Toyota Prius. (AB 2628 by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills)

CELLPHONES: A bill allowing cellphone owners control over whether their phone number is published in a directory being prepared by the wireless phone industry. (AB 1733 by Assemblywoman Sarah Reyes, D-Fresno)

CHILD PROSTITUTES: A bill increasing penalties by an additional year in prison for people who solicit child prostitutes. (AB 3042 by Assemblyman Leland Yee, D-San Francisco)

CRUISE SHIP REFUSE: A bill prohibiting waste incineration on cruise ships within three miles of the California coast. (AB 471 by Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto)

CRUISE SHIP WASTEWATER: A bill prohibiting cruise ships from draining sinks, showers, laundries and dishwashers into the ocean within three miles of the California coast. (AB 2093 by Assemblyman George Nakano, D-Torrance)

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DOMESTIC PARTNERS: A bill requiring insurers to provide gay and lesbian domestic partners with the same insurance benefits offered a spouse. (AB 2208 by Assemblywoman Christine Kehoe, D-San Diego)

FEMALE ATHLETICS: A bill requiring equal opportunities and funding for girls in community athletic programs. Federal law already guarantees such equality in school and college sports. (AB 2404 by Assemblyman Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento)

FOOD STAMPS: A bill allowing people with felony drug convictions to qualify for food stamps. The new law adds California to the 31 states that have opted out of a federal ban and restored at least some food-stamp benefits to felons with drug convictions. (AB 1796 by Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco)

FORCE-FED BIRDS: A bill banning the force-feeding of ducks and geese to enlarge their livers to make foie gras, a delicacy. The ban would take effect in July 2012. (SB 1520 by Sen. John Burton, D-San Francisco)

HEADLIGHTS: A bill requiring drivers to use headlights in weather that it makes it difficult to see another person or car at 1,000 feet, or the windshield wipers must be used continuously. (AB 1854 by Assemblyman Joe Simitian, D-Palo Alto)

INTERNET PIRACY: A bill requiring anybody sending movies, video games or music through the Internet to more than 10 people to include their legitimate e-mail address. Violators face up to a year in jail and $2,500 in fines. (SB 1506 by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City)

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MARCH PRIMARY: A bill ending California’s eight-year experiment with a March primary election and returning the election to June. (SB 1730 by Sen. Ross Johnson, R-Irvine)

MEXICAN TRUCKS: A bill requiring trucks crossing into California to meet national emissions standards. The bill was written in response to a U.S. Supreme Court decision that could open the border to more than 30,000 trucks from Mexico. (AB 1009 by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills)

NEEDLES: A bill allowing pharmacists to sell up to 10 hypodermic needles without a prescription. The governor said the law would help stop the spread of HIV, hepatitis and other blood-borne diseases among drug users. (SB 1159 by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara)

NURSING HOMES: A bill changing how California funds nursing homes and allowing the state to tap $250 million of additional Medicaid funds. (AB 1629 by Assemblyman Dario Frommer, D-Los Feliz)

OLD CARS: A bill ending the exemption on smog checks that cars at least 30 years old now get and requiring emissions tests for all vehicles made since 1976. (AB 2683 by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Mountain View)

PAPER REPORTS: A bill requiring the California Environmental Protection Agency, which produces hundreds of reports each year, to publish them electronically on compact discs and websites where possible. (AB 2701 by Assemblywoman Sharon Runner, R-Lancaster)

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PRISONS: A bill expanding the mission of the Department of Corrections from focusing on punishment alone to include education and job training. (AB 854 by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood)

RECYCLING: A bill requiring cellphone makers to take back their products for reuse or recycling after July 2006. (AB 2901 by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills)

SEX OFFENDERS: A bill posting California’s sex offender registry on the Internet, including home addresses for the most serious offenders. (AB 488 by Assemblywoman Nicole Parra, D-Hanford)

SEXUAL HARASSMENT: A bill requiring employers with 50 or more employees to provide two hours of sexual harassment awareness training and education to all supervisory employees every two years after January 2006. (AB 1825 by Assemblywoman Sara Reyes, D-Fresno)

SHOPPERS: A bill requiring retailers to charge the lowest price posted for an item. (AB 1721 by Assemblyman Paul Koretz, D-West Hollywood)

SIERRA: A bill creating the Sierra Nevada Conservancy to fund projects in the mountain range to protect water quality, boost tourism, preserve history and improve recreation. (AB 2600 by Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City)

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SMOKING: A bill banning smoking by inmates and guards in California prisons starting in July 2005. (AB 384 by Assemblyman Tim Leslie, R-Tahoe City)

SPYWARE: A bill banning the intentional installation of computer software known as “spyware,” which can collect personal information, disable anti-virus shields and otherwise disrupt a computer’s function. Sometimes spyware is hidden within legitimate software, or it can be installed surreptitiously when a person visits a website. (AB 1436 by Sen. Kevin Murray, D-Culver City)

SUPPLEMENTS: A bill banning the sale of several performance-enhancing dietary supplements to people under 18. (SB 1444 by Sen. Jackie Speier, D-Hillsborough)

TRAWLING: A bill limiting the number of boats that can drag weighted nets across the ocean bottom to catch halibut, pink shrimp, prawns and sea cucumbers. (SB 1459 by Sen. Dede Alpert, D-San Diego)

URBAN CLEANUP: A bill granting some immunity from liability to property owners who clean up contaminated urban lots for reuse. (AB 389 by Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, D-San Fernando)

VACCINES: A bill restricting mercury in vaccines given to pregnant women and children under age 3. Some parents blame mercury, linked to developmental disorders, for autism in their children. (AB 2943 by Assemblywoman Fran Pavley, D-Agoura Hills)

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VOTE BY FAX: A bill allowing soldiers and other voters overseas to submit absentee ballots by fax. (AB 2941 by Assemblywoman Patricia Bates, R-Laguna Niguel)

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