| Bill Number (Author) Subject/Summary |
Governor's Veto Message |
|---|---|
| AB 242 (Liu) Teachers. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 242 without my signature. This bill contains primarily statements of intent for various teacher preparation, recruitment, and retention policies for both K-12 and higher education. Although it is desirable for the State to develop long-range plans for such matter as the preparation and retention of highly qualified teachers, this bill is neither comprehensive nor fiscally feasible. Moreover, this legislation is unnecessary since the Commission on Teacher Credentialing has indicated that it will adopt regulations consistent with the provisions outlined in this bill. My Administration has already taken steps toward increasing the number of well-prepared teachers by working with the University of California and California State University systems to improve the supply of science and math teachers and is willing to continue working toward a more reasonable long range plan than what is provided for in this bill. For these reasons, I am unable to sign this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
AB 358 (Jackson) Gender discrimination. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 358 without my signature. The goals of AB 358 are extremely important. I strongly believe that the State of California must continue its existing programs to guarantee that women are not discriminated against in state policies or programs. With the issuance of Executive Order S-6-04, my Administration has clearly established the states equal employment policies without discrimination. All state agencies, departments, boards, and commissions shall recruit, appoint, train, evaluate and promote state personnel on the basis of merit and fitness, without regard to age, race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, national origin, gender, marital status, sexual orientation, religion, disability or other non-job-related factors. Thus, this bill is duplicative of existing policy and unnecessary. In addition, the Department of Health Services Office of Civil Rights is responsible for ensuring that actions taken by all levels of management achieve the Departments equal employment opportunity objectives as well as ensuring equal access to health services for beneficiaries. The Office of Civil Rights annually conducts a workforce analysis to determine any statistically significant under-representations, hidden barriers and the policies or processes that may result in under-representation. For these reasons I am unable to sign this bill at this time. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
AB 366 (Mullin) Child care: substitute employee registry. Existing law authorizes the State Department of Social Services to adopt regulations to create substitute employee registries for persons working at more than one facility licensed by the department, in order to permit these registries to submit fingerprint cards and child abuse index information for child care registries. This bill would authorize the department to adopt the above regulations in order to permit these registries, instead, to submit fingerprint images and related information to the Department of Justice, in accordance with prescribed provisions, for workers who are associated with the registries, and would require the Department of Justice to assess all processing fees associated with these provisions. It would also require that the responses from the Department of Justice be provided to the department, and would permit these responses to include information from specified sources. This bill contains other related provisions and other existing laws. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 366 without my signature. This bill requires the Department of Social Services to operate the Child Care Substitute Employee Registry Pilot Program until January 1, 2008. It would clarify that child care workers would be registered by the Substitute Employee Registry, rather than by the individual child care facility and that all substitute employee records would be maintained at the Substitute Employee Registry regional office. This measure would take effect immediately as an urgency statute. This bill provides that the Substitute Employee Registries are to be funded by a combination of licensing fees charged to participating registries and the reallocation of unearned child care contract funds, pursuant to Section 8278 of the Education Code. Despite the commendable negotiations between the author and the Department of Social Services, the licensing fees are not adequate for implementation and the additional funding from Proposition 98 monies cannot be used for this purpose. The Education Code Section 8278 funds were intended for the provision of direct child care services. For these reasons I am returning this bill without my signature. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 662 (Dutra) Special education: blind and visually impaired
pupils. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 662 without my signature. This bills intention to create another advisory task force within California Department of Education (CDE) is unnecessary. The California Blindness Advisory Task Force that was established by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction years ago, issued a report in 2002, A Future View: Quality Education for all Students Who Are Blind and Visually Impaired. To date, none of the recommendations made by that task force have been implemented by the CDE. While I believe in addressing the special needs of blind and visually impaired students in California, the inability of the CDE to act upon a prior task forces recommendations does not warrant the creation of yet another task force within the department to address the same needs. For these reasons I am unable to support this legislation. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 671 (Corbett) State workforce infrastructure planning. Existing law requires the Governor to submit to the Legislature annually in conjunction with the Governor's Budget a proposed 5-year infrastructure plan. Existing law defines "infrastructure" and specifies the contents of the infrastructure plan. This bill would additionally define "workforce infrastructure" as provisions for the delivery of public services essential to the viability of the California workforce. The bill would require the Governor to submit annually a proposed 5-year workforce infrastructure plan to include infrastructure needs for the provision of public instruction and public libraries. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 671 without my signature as the requirements would be premature to the recommendations being considered by the California Performance Review (CPR). This bill would require the Governor to annually submit a newly defined five-year workforce infrastructure plan to the Legislature in conjunction with his proposed budget. Currently, a five-year report is submitted regarding infrastructure on real and personal property, generally known as hardscape. The bill defines and broadens the report to include workforce infrastructure for public instruction and libraries. Because there is a lack of clarity in the definition, the bill expands the report to include any item needed to support the schools workforce, such as information or computer systems, equipment, supplies and requires the estimated costs. It would also require that a funding source be identified to pay for these items, including books and supplies for libraries s. This bill may require the State to engage in a planning process for identifying infrastructure needs for schools and libraries that are the responsibility of local government. Further, it is not clear how this bill would improve the States infrastructure planning process. Finally, this bill is not consistent with the CPR. When I signed the Executive Order in February of 2004 establishing the CPR, its mission was to make fundamental changes in state government, establish new procedures to create greater efficiencies, prioritize government functions, create true accountability over the fiscal management of state resources. Further exposure of government must be fully reviewed and consolidated against existing state entities and programs. The recommendations of this bill warrant careful review and consideration through the CPR process before enacting any legislation that makes substantial changes to the states infrastructure plan. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 711 (Correa) Private postsecondary education: Private Postsecondary
and Vocational Education Reform Act of 1989. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 711 without my signature. I fully support the concept of streamlining and improving the oversight of California's private postsecondary and vocational education. However, this bill does not achieve that goal and could harm consumers, as it is unclear what authority the Bureau of Private Postsecondary and Vocational Education (Bureau) would have to sanction institutions that fail to comply with state laws. AB 711 falls short of its objective to streamline functions of the Bureau. Therefore, I am unable to sign this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 712 (Steinberg) Preschool for All Program. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 712 without my signature. Preschool can be a valuable addition to the education of many children, and I believe strongly that every child should be ready and able to succeed once they enter into the school system. My Administration recognizes that preschool, child care, and school readiness programs are important factors to the future academic success and well being of California's youth. At the same time, I also strongly believe that before we make promises about expanding the preschool system, I want to be sure e that the State can actually deliver on that promise. Governing responsibly requires me to provide the State with a clear understanding of the potentially billions of dollars in costs and other requirements of preschool, in relation to the benefits and resources available, before determining the scope of the commitment that we can all enter into together. Some research and study has already been conducted and even more will be produced in the near term. My commitment to comprehensive school readiness is strong. My Administration will work in collaboration with the California Children and Families Commission and other interested groups and parties to assess the infrastructure and options available in providing a statewide preschool program. However, doing so does not require additional legislative authority, and therefore, this bill is unnecessary. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 736 (Hancock) School facilities. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 736 without my signature. This bill is premature, in that it places conditions on school districts use of funding of school facilities bond measures passed after January 1, 2006. While I am very supportive of efforts to improve the environment of California's classrooms, as well as promoting energy efficiency and conservation, this policy discussion more appropriately should be considered within the context of a comprehensive environmental policy involving energy efficient housing, schools and commercial properties. Therefore, I am unable to sign this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 745 (Goldberg) Local educational agencies: officers. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 745 (Goldberg) without my signature. School district finances, including personnel salaries and related compensation, should receive thorough public scrutiny; however, this bill essentially duplicates existing reporting requirements. Currently, the School Accountability Report Card, an annual school assessment, includes fiscal and expenditure data including the percent of budget spent on teacher and administrative salaries. This report card is available to the public via district or county web sites, and if not available by the Internet, can be obtained from the district upon request. To the extent that the bill also creates another reimbursable state mandate with an estimated cost in excess of a half million dollars to provide information already available, this creates an unnecessary expenditure of already scarce education dollars that could be better used in the classroom. Therefore, I am unable to sign this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 857 (Frommer) Developmental disabilities: autism. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 857 without my signature. While I support the authors goal of access for families to relevant services and information about autism, current law provides a method of furnishing that information and delivering services. Under existing law, 21 regional centers are required to develop relevant information and provide access to appropriate services for children with autism. The regional center system and its allied agencies are the most efficient system for identifying the needs of children with autism and informing their families. Supports and services offered by regional centers are comprehensive and offer a cost-effective method of evaluating and serving persons with autism. Current regional center resource development and service coordination practices include the development of educational and informational guides that describe services related to autism. This service coordination also includes meeting formally and informally with each person with autism and their family to describe the nature of the persons disability, how it was diagnosed and what steps should be taken to promote that persons individual growth. For these reasons I am returning this bill without my signature. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 858 (Goldberg) California Racial Mascots Act: athletic team names
and mascots. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 858 without my signature. Existing statute already affords local school boards general control over all aspects of their interscholastic athletic policies, programs, and activities. Decisions regarding athletic teams names, nicknames or mascots should be retained at the local level. At a time when we should all be working together to increase the academic achievement of all California's students, adding another non-academic state administrative requirement for schools to comply with takes more focus away from getting kids to learn at the highest levels. For these reasons, I am unable to support this legislation. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1010 (Pavley) Instructional materials: electronic format. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1010 without my signature. While I support the idea of using an electronic multimedia format, it is crucial that we remain focused on providing all pupils with an actual textbook in core curricula areas. In addition, I am concerned about the rising costs of textbooks and this bill could create increased costs to the State in the form of higher textbook costs for publishers to comply with the electronic multimedia format requirement. Higher costs could make it more difficult for schools to ensure that pupils have adequate textbooks which was a cornerstone of the Williams v. State of California settlement agreement. For these reasons, I am unable to support this legislation. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1012 (Steinberg) Pupils: interrogation. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1012 without my signature. While well intentioned, the practical effects of AB 1012 would be devastating to school-based law enforcement officers and school administrators responsible for keeping students and staff safe in the school setting. I believe parental involvement is an important part of ensuring a pupils academic success. This includes informing parents when their child is involved in a disciplinary or school safety investigation. Currently, there are a number of constitutional and statutory protections that shield juveniles from excessive and unreasonable interrogations. However, I am concerned that the procedures required by this bill are too broad and may result in a number of safety and liability issues. The requirements of this bill would apply to principals when making pupils available for any questioning by a peace officer, including cases where a pupil is a witness and where a pupil is not suspected of delinquency. These broad parameters may result in significant delays in investigation and could jeopardize the safety and security of the school and the surrounding community. This bill assumes that an adversarial relationship should exist whenever officers interact with students. By advising students that they do not have to talk to an officer, there is an inference that the officer is an adversary who cannot be trusted. Perhaps the greatest benefit these officers can deliver is the ability to stop crime before it occurs through their proactive discussions with students. If discussions between the officers and students become too formalized, they will not take pl ace as often. If officers cannot perform prevention activities, we are likely to see more officers on campus after the fact, after the crime, after the tragedy, instead of before when it might have made a difference. For these reasons I am unable to support this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1126 (Dutton) School facilities: modernization. Existing law, the Leroy F. Greene School Facilities Act of 1998, requires the State Allocation Board to allocate to applicant school districts, prescribed per-unhoused-pupil state funding for construction and modernization of school facilities, including hardship funding, and supplemental funding for site development and acquisition. Existing law requires the board to determine the total funding eligibility of a school district for modernization funding by multiplying certain amounts by each pupil of that grade level housed in permanent school buildings that are at least 25 years old or portable classrooms that are at least 20 years old and which have not been previously modernized with state funding. Existing law requires the board to annually adjust the amounts according to the adjustment for inflation set forth in the statewide cost index for class B construction, as determined by the board. This bill would require the board to adjust for inflation the calculation used to determine the total funding eligibility of a school district for modernization funding on a monthly basis, rather than annually. This bill contains other related provisions. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1126 without my signature. Adjusting the per-pupil grant award for modernization projects on a monthly basis, rather than annually, as currently required by law, will add another level of administrative bureaucracy, and may create inequities in the level of funding received by districts for comparable projects that are progressing within months of each other. For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1253 (Bermudez) Home-to-school transportation. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1253 without my signature. This bill directs the Superintendent of Public Instruction to conduct a study, regarding home-to-school transportation, but identifies no funding for its completion. Currently, legislative members can request the Legislative Analysts Office to conduct studies on their behalf, without any additional statutory authority. Therefore, this bill is unnecessary. For this reason, I cannot sign this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1486 (Dutra) School facilities: lease-leaseback contracts. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1486 without my signature. I am supportive of using a competitive process for public works projects and understand that this bill is needed to clarify that process. However, this bill imposes restrictions on lease-leaseback contracts that could limit competition, inadvertently limit schools flexibility, and drive higher administrative costs; thereby potentially increasing the overall cost of school facility construction. For this reason, I cannot sign this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1650 (Simitian) Teacher Support and Development Act of 2005. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1650 without my signature. While I support reforms to streamline funding for K-12 professional development categorical programs, I am concerned that this bill does not include adequate protections to ensure that professional development for teachers is aligned to the state-adopted content standards. In addition, the bill does not contain adequate fiscal safeguards to ensure that the States funding liability is capped at the levels provided in the annual budget act. Finally, I am concerned that some of the activities the bill requires school districts to perform could be deemed reimbursable state mandates. I am willing to work with the Legislature in the next legislative session to develop a bill that accomplishes the desired reforms and also addresses my concerns. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
AB 1670 (Kehoe) Class size reduction. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1670 without my signature. The provisions in this bill are already contained in a separate measure. Therefore, this bill is unnecessary. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
AB 1696 (Pavley) Office of Education on the Environment. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1696 without my signature. The provisions in this bill go beyond the scope of cleaning up the technical implementation issues raised concerning AB 1548 (Chapter 665, Statutes of 2003). The Legislature should pass a clean up bill in the next session that contains only the required technical fixes. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
AB 1782 (Horton, Jerome) Outdoor advertising displays. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1782 without my signature. On August 24, I vetoed a measure (Senate Bill 1324) that was nearly identical to this bill. My concerns with creating spot exemptions to the California Outdoor Advertising Act remain the same. While I recognize the hardships that many school districts are facing and I encourage innovative ways to find additional funding, I recommend the Legislature address the number of categorical programs and mandates imposed on school districts. Our focus should be on getting more money into the classroom, not finding new sources of revenue to fund a system in which reforms are needed. For these reasons I am returning AB 1782 without my signature. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1790 (Corbett) School facilities: seismic safety upgrades. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1790 without my signature. I see no reason for the Legislature to pass a bill stating its intention to consider an idea in the future. The protection of students must be among our highest priorities and I am in full support of efforts to continue to do so. However, the enactment of this bill would not result in any substantive benefit or make any meaningful progress toward achieving that goal of enhancing the safety of school facilities. Therefore I am unable to support this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1822 (Chan) Schools: pupil immunizations. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1822 without my signature. While I support the policy objective of conforming California's school enrollment policy to national immunization enrollment guidelines, I am concerned that the proposal would result in a reimbursable state-mandated local program with annual Proposition 98 costs of $1.4 million. The budget does not provide funding for this purpose. This bill would prohibit the admission of pupils transferring from other states who have not been immunized against either mumps or hepatitis B regardless of age or grade level. Most California students and all that enter in kindergarten have been immunized against these diseases and there is little risk of transmission of these diseases at school. I encourage schools to recommend to parents of students coming from other states and nations that have not already been immunized to do so and pro vide information on the availability of such immunizations through publicly supported medical programs. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1829 (Liu) Public contracts: services: domestic workers. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1829 without my signature. California is a partner in the global marketplace. California businesses and its citizens are entrepreneurial, innovative and on the leading edge of new ideas and technologies. The rest of the world has received untold benefits exported from our state; yet at the same time our state and its citizens have also benefited from our neighbors around the world. As California begins to emerge from the dark days of our fiscal crisis, our focus should not be on erecting artificial barriers that will thwart the spirit of our citizens and the businesses that help our economy grow, but rather on ideas and policies that will fuel the thriving spirit of businesses who look to be on the forefront of the challenges of tomorrow. This bill prohibits state agencies from using funds from the state to contract for services with a contractor unless they can certify that the work will be performed in the United States. Noticeably excluded from the provisions of this bill are the investment activities of the State of California. The state will continue to be able to invest its treasury bonds and state retirement funds without the need to comply with this bill, but these provisions apply to all other state and local contracts. While this bill purports to be about saving jobs, it would actually be detrimental to our economy and the creation of new jobs in this state. It is also contrary to my administrations efforts to create a more efficient and effective purchasing system and to increase small business contracting participation. This bill adds additional restrictions on state contractors, thereby resulting in less competition at the state and local levels and ultimately result in higher prices paid by governmental entities for goods and services. A recent report by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC) states that California has gained 713,000 jobs from direct foreign investment in California and additionally found that placing the type of restrictions, as set forth in this bill, on businesses will have a negative impact on our economy. The report further states that restricting state contracting will not necessarily help workers in California, but could instead result in contracts being awarded to out-of-state bidders. There is a right way and a wrong way to expand economic opportunity in California. The wrong approach is to implement measures that restrict trade, invite retaliation or violate the United States Constitution and our foreign trade agreements. The United States Constitution clearly defines that the authority to regulate trade with foreign nations rests with the federal government. Article 1, Section 8 grants Congress the exclusive authority to regulate Commerce with foreign nations. In today's global economy, the best approach to create and enhance job growth in California is to provide a competitive business environment. In order to improve their competitiveness in a global market, California businesses cannot be penalized with punitive policies restricting their ability to make decisions on how to best perform and provide goods or services for state government and our consumers. These restrictions will drive businesses out of California. California must continue to be an active participant in the worldwide economy in order to create new opportunities and better jobs for our citizens. This bill is contrary to those goals. Therefore, I cannot support this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1841 (Chan) Reorganized high schools: grant programs. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1841 without my signature. This bill could weaken the accountability provisions of the Immediate Intervention for Underperforming Schools Program and the High Priority Schools Grant Program (IIUSP/HP). The IIUSP/HP program was designed to provide support for the development and implementation of action plans designed to improve the academic achievement of pupils in schools that have been designated as underperforming. By allowing reorganized high schools to receive a share of incentive funding, this bill would limit the states ability to track the programs of students originally enrolled at the participating high schools. Moreover, extending the time frames to meet required performance growth targets by an additional year would postpone state interventions at schools that have failed to meet their API growth target, and undermine the intent of the program. For these reasons, I am unable to sign the bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1846 (Goldberg) No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1846 without my signature. This bill would only create more confusion of governance in the existing education system, if the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (SPI) is the authority for provisions related to the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act and the State Board Education (SBE) is the authority for all other federal programs. In addition, this bill would undermine the authority of the SBE. Moreover, California has already submitted applications for various programs and received funding under the NCLB Act. This bill may force California to revise and resubmit current applications in order to meet the provisions of this bill, potentially jeopardizing receipt of federal funding. This shift in authority proposed by the bill would also limit statewide public input. Although the SPI is an elected official, I believe it is important for education stakeholders parents, students, teachers, administrators, and community members to have an official venue for public testimony. The SBE holds public hearings on various K-12 education issues throughout the state for issues to be appropriately heard and considered. For these reasons, I am unable to support this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1860 (Reyes) Charter schools. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1860 without my signature. All charter schools should be held accountable for the academic achievement of their students and charter school students should be responsible for giving their best effort to reach their potential. However, this bill runs counter to the general intent of charter schools, which is to operate independently from the existing school district structure. Current law exempts charter schools from most laws governing school districts. This bill would subject charter schools to specific regulations a nd laws that may hamper their ability to focus on innovation in the classroom and increasing student performance. For these reasons, I cannot support this legislation. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1897 (Reyes) School district governing boards: pupil members. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1897 without my signature. The State Board of Education includes a student member whose participation brings a vibrant dynamic to the statewide policy debate. I am especially pleased with the contributions that the student member I recently appointed has brought to the current State Board. However, mandating that school districts appoint a preferential voting student member to local school board is unnecessary since existing law already provides a mechanism for student representation on local school boards. As such, I encourage all interested students to pursue the wonderful opportunity of being appointed to their local school board, under the provisions of current law. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1914 (Montanez) Education in state prisons. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1914 without my signature. I appreciate and share the authors interest in improving correctional education programs. That is one reason why I appointed Jeanne Woodford as the current California Department of Corrections (CDC) Director, based on her proven support for correctional education programs while Warden at San Quentin State Prison. Signing this bill would only hamper the improvements being planned and implemented by the Director. This bill eliminates accountability for the education programs by creating another layer of bureaucracy that is not directly answerable to the Director. Appointment of a Deputy Director for Correctional Education could only be made from a list of candidates provided by the Correctional Education Committee. This clearly usurps the Directors authority at a time when she is tasked with evaluating the current educational, vocational and treatment programs in order to implement a comprehensive plan to provide more rehabilitation opportunities to end the cycle of violence CDC's Director has an existing Advisory Committee on Correctional Education, which includes representatives of the Superintendent of Public Instruction, and the Chancellors of both the California State University system and the California Community Colleges system. This bill would replace the existing committee with the 15-member Correctional Education Committee appointed by 12 different appointing authorities, hampering the Directors ability to improve and expand education programs. For these reasons I am unable to support this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1918 (Montanez) School employees. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1918 without my signature. This bill would require school districts to provide additional disability compensation benefits to school employees, without requiring employees to contribute for the cost of those benefits. These benefits are currently subject to collective bargaining and are appropriately determined at the local level. Requiring all districts to provide this benefit could increase benefit costs and may not be of the highest priority for districts or their employees. For these reasons, I cannot sign this bill, but would encourage school districts to work with their collective bargaining representatives to determine the need for this benefit. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1944 (Hancock) Pupil attendance: precinct board membership. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1944 without my signature. This bill would allow schools to receive funding for time when students are volunteering as an elections precinct board member. While civic and other volunteer activities can offer many educational opportunities to students, these activities should be in addition to, and not in place of, valuable classroom learning time with a teacher. For this reason, I am unable to sign this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 1988 (Hancock) Schools: Irradiated foods. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1988 without my signature. While we always want to keep parents informed of a variety of issues, imposing the additional administrative duties proscribed in this bill would increase the cost on school districts by an estimated $5.3 million annually. Since information concerning irradiated food is already available from a variety of sources, these funds would be better spent in the classroom. Therefore, I am unable to sign this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2015 (Chu) Special education: individualized education program
team. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2015 without my signature. This bill is unnecessary. While I appreciate the authors intent to provide foster youth with exceptional needs a voice in their individualized education program, I believe that current law already responsibly addresses this issue. This bill mandates that the foster youth with exceptional needs over the age of 13 be included on the individual education program team. Current law already requires the individual education program team to include the individual with exceptional needs, when ever appropriate. For this reason, I am unable to support this legislation. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2035 (Nakano) School facilities: regional occupational centers. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2035 without my signature. This bill would set a precedent for double counting some students in the School Facilities Program by allowing Regional Occupational Centers/Programs (ROC/Ps) and school districts to both receive funding for the same student. While I am supportive of the services provided by ROC/Ps, I cannot support this kind of funding mechanism. For this reason, I am unable to sign this bill. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2055 (Wolk) General plan elements. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2055 without my signature. Agriculture is one of the most important economic sectors, accounting for over $27 billion in California's economy. As of 2003, 48 local jurisdictions had specifically addressed agriculture in their general plans. This bill would impose new state requirements on all local governments general plans. This bill adds no new protections for agricultural land. In fact, while it renames the Open Space Element to the Agricultural and Open Space Element, it does not require agricultural land to be considered in that element. While I believe that land planning should be done at the local level, it is imperative that the state have a comprehensive vision for land use in California. I have begun work with my Cabinet to develop strategies to ensure that Californians have enough housing and better roads, while at the same time maintaining the natural splendor of our open spaces and the rich economic value of our agricultural lands. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2064 (Goldberg) Parks and recreation: active recreation. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2064 without my signature. Encouraging recreational activities in park poor areas for young people is a very worthwhile goal for our state. This bill directs DPR to facilitate local active recreation opportunities in park poor areas and to enter into a lease of up to 25 years with local entities. However, DPR already facilitates active recreation activities in park poor areas through its Office of Grants and Local Assistance, which provides a substantial amount of financial and technical assistance to local entities for their park and recreation needs. Local recreation opportunities should be provided by local entities on locally-owned property. Any exceptions should be made on a case-by-case basis following thorough analysis. Should an exception be deemed necessary, there is already an established process for DPR to enter into short-term and long-term leases. For the above reasons I cannot support this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2079 (Oropeza) Voter information: privacy. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2079 without my signature. This bill intends to address various recommendations of the Secretary of States Task Force on Voter Privacy. I believe that an open election process instills confidence in California's voters and that any effort to protect a voters privacy must be weighed against the open elections process. Current law provides that the processing of provisional voters is open to the public, both before and after an election. Prior to the processing of provisional ballots, an elections official must make available a list of provisional voters for public inspection, from which challenges may be presented. This bill would prohibit an elections official from disclosing the identity of any provisional voter or a list of such voters before an election is certified, which would make the elections process less accessible to the public during the critical canvass period. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2080 (Firebaugh) Academic Improvement and Achievement Act. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2080 without my signature. Funding for a new cohort pursuant to the Academic Improvement and Achievement Act (AIAA) was not included in the final budget for 2004-05. I deleted the $5 million augmentation because this small competitive grant program helps only 12 districts out of over 1,000 school districts in the state. The program has sufficient funding to complete the existing cohort. As previously stated, these funds should be spent for educational priorities agreed to with the education community to provide more flexible funding so local schools can fund their most important needs. Therefore, I am unable to support this legislation. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2152 (Goldberg) Pupil achievement grant program. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2152 without my signature. While I understand the authors intention to address categorical programs, this bill actually limits the flexibility in the allocation of funds to best meet the needs of schools at the local level. The bill dictates an allocation formula to local districts, instead of allowing school boards the ability to determine the allocation based on their specific needs. For these reasons, I cannot sign this measure. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2240 (Oropeza) Equity in Athletics Bill of Rights. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2240 without my signature. The Federal Title IX requirements that are intended to ban sex discrimination in school academics and athletics have provided a worthy benefit to improving equity in athletics for women and men. However, establishing an additional Equity in Athletics Bill of Rights is generally duplicative and unnecessary. Instead, the Legislature could approve a bill requiring the posting of existing Title IX requirements, on school campuses and on the California Department of Education web site, to help promote greater student and parental awareness of athletic equity issues in California schools. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2275 (Dymally) Equal opportunity programs. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2275 without my signature. My Administration is firmly committed to ensuring equal employment opportunities for anyone interested in public service with the State of California and that is why my Administration issued Executive Order S-6-04 in March of this year which clearly sets forth the States employment opportunity policies. In a recent court decision, Connerly v. State Personnel Board, the Third District Court of Appeals, invalidated specified sections of the State Civil Service Affirmative Action Program as unconstitutional. However, the sections that provide for data collection and reporting were not found unconstitutional and were not invalidated. Accordingly, under both state and federal law, state agencies have a responsibility to maintain statistical information on the composition of their workforce, and s tate agencies are required by federal law to identify racial, gender and ethnic under-representation in their workforce. I fully expect that all state agencies will comply with this responsibility and maintain meaningful information on the composition of the state workforce. I would consider legislation that repeals those provisions of law that have been judicially invalidated. I encourage the State and Consumer Services Agency to work with the proponents of this legislation to craft a measure that will eliminate the invalid statutory provisions, but does not impose additional reporting and record keeping requirements. Sincerely, Arnold Schwarzenegger |
| AB 2295 (Hancock) Academic and career exploration plan. |
To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 2295 without my signature. While I am generally very supportive of increasing student awareness of career opportunities and guidance in career technical education so that they can be better prepared in workforce competencies, no additional statutory authority is necessary for school districts to provide the services outlined in th |