Posted on 09/18/2004 4:10:14 PM PDT by NormsRevenge
SACRAMENTO (AP) - Siding with his business allies, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed bills Saturday that would have raised the minimum wage to $7.75 an hour and required economic impact reports before local governments approve Wal-Mart-like mega-stores.
The Republican governor also turned down legislation that would have limited drug testing of students.
He contended the minimum wage and super-store legislation would have hurt the state's economy and said drug testing policies should be left up to school officials.
"I cannot support legislation that eliminates the ability of local school districts to make decisions based on the needs and values of their community," he said in a veto message.
The bill, by Sen. John Vasconcellos, D-Santa Clara, would have allowed random drug testing of students only if the program was voluntary on the part of students and parents and not funded by state or local taxes.
The measure also would have barred requiring students to agree to random testing to participate in extracurricular activities.
It would have allowed nonrandom testing only if school officials had reasonable suspicion that a particular student was using alcohol or illegal drugs.
The bill's supporters called random testing a costly program that creates distrust among students, parents and school officials and distracts from the "core educational mission of the public schools."
The minimum wage bill, by Assemblywoman Sally Lieber, D-Santa Clara, would have raised California's minimum wage from $6.75 to $7.25 next Jan. 1 and to $7.75 on Jan. 1, 2006.
Bill supporters said the minimum wage hasn't kept up with inflation, adding to a "dramatically rising level of poverty" and greater reliance on taxpayer-funded social programs.
Schwarzenegger said Lieber's bill would have made California's minimum wage the highest in the nation. Washington and Oregon currently have higher minimum wages that increase with inflation and conceivably could have remained higher than California's.
Schwarzenegger also said the bill would have discouraged economic growth.
"Now is not the time to create barriers to our economic recovery or reverse the momentum we have generated," he said. "I want to create more jobs and make every California job more secure."
The California Chamber of Commerce praised the veto, saying the legislation would have created a "huge disincentive for employers looking for locations to expand operations or locate new jobs."
The super-store bill, by Sen. Richard Alarcon, D-Van Nuys, would have required cities and counties to complete economic impact reports before ruling on proposals to build retail stores with more than 130,000 square feet and that devote more than 10 percent of their space to selling food.
The reports would have had to include an assessment of the stores' impact on other businesses, wages, public services and traffic.
The state Chamber of Commerce, Costco, Wal-Mart, the Retail Industry Leaders Association and the League of California Cities opposed the bill.
Supporters said such stores can drive out other business and result in lower wages, more part-time jobs and traffic congestion, but opponents said the legislation was aimed at keeping out nonunion operations.
Schwarzenegger said the bill would have imposed "unnecessary, burdensome restrictions on businesses attempting to expand in California."
"The declared intent of this bill is 'to promote market competition and economic development,' but instead it would stifle market competition and expansion of employment within California," he said.
The bill was supported by the California Independent Grocers Association and several labor unions.
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On the Net:
www.governor.ca.gov, www.senate.ca.gov and www.assembly.ca.gov
Wonderful! Just screw the 2nd amendment.
The Second Amendment isn't about hunting - it's about the God-given right to self-protection.
GOOD MOVE ARNIE.
And there you have it.
Anyone know what the process is to override the vetoes?
Just round up two thirds of the legislature. The Dems are a bit short of two thirds, so veto = interment.
In a market economy, yes. But these proposals come to us via the Ministry of Democratic Activism who've yet to recognize the failures of other centrally planned economies.
Add to that the hemmoraging border of labor surpluses headed our way each year and their fantasy of a working class nirvana collapses even sooner.
A free market economy can handle such inconveniences, theirs cannot. In either case though, please pass the Hamburger Help Us.
THe right has bought into this based on a claim by the industry that it is all about helping kids and fighting drugs. What it IS about is finding a market for their product -- which has been available to parents for many years, but has been overwhelming rejected by the marketplace, They are seeking through legislation, and using government (OUR MONEY) grants to force the use of their unwanted product.
This is a major scam, including a huge lobbying effort in DC (and the influence of the drug companies on the WH).
Today, Arnold is a little bit less of a RINO.
how about somewhere between a Rino and a Greeno.. a Grino ;-?
Arnold is better than the alternative would have been. Fiscally, he is a conservative. He is the closest thing the state has had to Ronaldus Magnus in a long, long time. Guns are not the only issue out there. Bite the bullet, (So to speak) stop acting like girlymen, and learn to deal with it.
I full well understand what was in office previously , so don't think the desire to support him is not there, but facts speak for themself. He rolled for the status quo and borrowed to the hilt to keep the ship afloat. Where were the cuts cuts cuts?
If the deficits are not addressed thru cuts cuts cuts, all the girlie man hype won't amount to a hill of beans for the taxpayers of this state in the future.
FRankly, imo, we are fighting a stalling action 'til enough legislative 'Rats are sent packing this November to have a realistic chance of turning the state around.
Check this out for OUTRAGEOUR minimum wages:
http://www.acorn.org/acorn10/livingwage/shortwins.php
How does $12.25 (you can pay them $10.50, if you also give them health insurance) sound for workers washing dishes and making up beds in hotels in the coastal zone of Santa Monica, CA?
"In May, the Santa Monica City Council passed a living wage law requiring that employers operating within the city's Coastal Zone tourist district with revenues of more than $5 million a year provide a living wage to employees. The wage rate is set at $10.50 per hour for those employees who receive health benefits. Employees who do not get health benefits will receive an additional $1.75 per hour, increasing to $2.50 an hour in 2002. The ordinance is a first in that it covers employers who have no direct financial relationship with the city (Santa Monicans Allied for Responsible Tourism)."
The fact that Schwarzenegger did not vote as a communist should be of consolation to no one. Schwarzenegger is a liberal businessman. No better no worse.
The aim of this forum and conservatives in general should be to forcefully separate Schwarzenegger from the trappings of power and replace him with a conservative.
I think some parents want their kids tested but never had the backbone to impose it themselves at home; in their cowardice they're happy to impose their parenting choices on all families. Pathetic.
Well, gun safety ought to be taught to all children in public school (it used to be!) That would take away the "forbidden fruit" aspect and instill the right mindset for adulthood...SSZ
Yes, and also some think "MY kid doesn't need to be tested, but all the OTHERS do!"
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