Gov. Jerry Brown signs 38 bills, vetoes 4
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
San Francisco Chronicle September 26, 2011 04:02 PM
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Photo by Rich Pedroncelli / AP
Sacramento -- Gov. Jerry Brown signed 38 bills and vetoed four others on Monday, including a Republican-sponsored measure that would have mandated that one of the state's Air Resources Board members be a small-business owner.
In a swipe at Republicans over their refusal to support taxes, Brown attached a message to a bill he signed that imposes a 1 percent fee on the sale of olive trees to raise funds to help certify the trees through a government program.
In that message, the governor noted that the Republican author of the bill, state Sen. Anthony Cannella of Ceres (Stanislaus County), "vouches for this fee by stressing the need to ensure that olives are 'healthy and viable for California farmers.' "
"I agree," Brown continued. "Perhaps the author and his colleagues might apply the same solicitude - and revenue - to ensure the health and vitality of our schools?"
Brown, who has hundreds more bills to consider before an Oct. 9 deadline, also vetoed two bills authored by Democrats that would have created blue-ribbon task forces on public transportation and the creation of a state bank. In veto messages attached to those bills, he said existing legislative committees and state agencies have the ability to conduct those types of reviews and urged lawmakers to "use the resources we have."
Brown also explained his reasons for vetoing the California Air Resources Board measure, written by Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills (San Bernardino County).
The 11-member board is a frequent target of conservative critics who contend that the policies and regulations mandated by the air resources board have hurt the state's business climate. Hagman's bill would have required one member to have owned a small business in the past five years.
Brown said he agrees that there should be people with business experience on the board, and "in fact, four sitting members have such experience."
"But whether the board should have one member, as provided in this bill, or four, is best left to the discretion of the governor," he wrote.
Among the other 37 bills signed by Brown on Monday was a AB1086 by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, which allows Alameda County voters to consider whether to increase the county's sales tax by one-half percent through 2014. If approved in November 2012, the money would be used for transportation programs.
The governor also signed AB1041 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, which will allow Muni to continue using video cameras to enforce transit-only traffic lanes. The law was set to expire Jan. 1; it will now be in effect until Jan. 1, 2016.
Even as Brown made decisions on some bills, supporters of other measures fought to get the governor's attention. On Monday, supporters of a controversial bill that would ban the sale of shark fins in the state gathered in San Francisco, while supporters of a measure that would require private insurers to cover some types of autism treatment rallied in Sacramento.
In a swipe at Republicans over their refusal to support taxes, Brown attached a message to a bill he signed that imposes a 1 percent fee on the sale of olive trees to raise funds to help certify the trees through a government program.
In that message, the governor noted that the Republican author of the bill, state Sen. Anthony Cannella of Ceres (Stanislaus County), "vouches for this fee by stressing the need to ensure that olives are 'healthy and viable for California farmers.' "
"I agree," Brown continued. "Perhaps the author and his colleagues might apply the same solicitude - and revenue - to ensure the health and vitality of our schools?"
Brown, who has hundreds more bills to consider before an Oct. 9 deadline, also vetoed two bills authored by Democrats that would have created blue-ribbon task forces on public transportation and the creation of a state bank. In veto messages attached to those bills, he said existing legislative committees and state agencies have the ability to conduct those types of reviews and urged lawmakers to "use the resources we have."
Brown also explained his reasons for vetoing the California Air Resources Board measure, written by Assemblyman Curt Hagman, R-Chino Hills (San Bernardino County).
The 11-member board is a frequent target of conservative critics who contend that the policies and regulations mandated by the air resources board have hurt the state's business climate. Hagman's bill would have required one member to have owned a small business in the past five years.
Brown said he agrees that there should be people with business experience on the board, and "in fact, four sitting members have such experience."
"But whether the board should have one member, as provided in this bill, or four, is best left to the discretion of the governor," he wrote.
Among the other 37 bills signed by Brown on Monday was a AB1086 by Assemblyman Bob Wieckowski, D-Fremont, which allows Alameda County voters to consider whether to increase the county's sales tax by one-half percent through 2014. If approved in November 2012, the money would be used for transportation programs.
The governor also signed AB1041 by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, which will allow Muni to continue using video cameras to enforce transit-only traffic lanes. The law was set to expire Jan. 1; it will now be in effect until Jan. 1, 2016.
Even as Brown made decisions on some bills, supporters of other measures fought to get the governor's attention. On Monday, supporters of a controversial bill that would ban the sale of shark fins in the state gathered in San Francisco, while supporters of a measure that would require private insurers to cover some types of autism treatment rallied in Sacramento.
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