New fallout from the state's historic budget standoff came Friday in the form of gubernatorial vetoes, as Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger blocked 18 bills and blamed his actions on the 85-day budget delay.
The Republican governor signed a uniform veto message for 18 of the 27 bills he vetoed Friday that suggested he did not have enough time to review low-priority bills.
Among the vetoed proposals were requirements that pet stores use humane methods in euthanizing rodents and restrictions on uses of human remains in exhibitions.
"The historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State Budget has forced me to prioritize the bills sent to my desk at the end of the year's legislative session," Schwarzenegger wrote in his veto message. "Given the delay, I am only signing bills that are the highest priority for California."
Schwarzenegger signed the budget Tuesday, shrinking the usual monthlong period between budget approval and the Sept. 30 bill-signing deadline to one week.
The governor had previously threatened to veto all bills until he received the budget, prompting both houses to wait until this week to send him their bills.
The governor had 875 bills to review, but he told a San Diego radio station Thursday that many are "lousy" and there are only about "300 bills that I have that I'm going to deal with in a responsible way" due to the compressed period, according to a transcript from the Governor's Office.
Since signing the budget Tuesday, Schwarzenegger has spent little time in Sacramento but legislative secretary Chris Kahn has been with him, said spokesman Aaron McLear.
The governor spoke Thursday in Long Beach at a League of California Cities conference and Friday in San Francisco at a Commonwealth Club of California luncheon. He also attended the California Republican Party convention Friday in Anaheim.
The governor said two bills by Assemblywoman Fiona Ma, D-San Francisco, were not a high enough priority. Her Assembly Bill 1519 sought to regulate companies that exhibit human remains to ensure that the deceased had given prior consent.
"The governor should look at each of the bills on the merits and how they impact Californians," Ma said.
Schwarzenegger signed legislation Friday authorizing $5 billion in lease-revenue bonds to renovate deteriorating court buildings, accompanied by increases in various traffic and criminal fines and court filing fees.
Call Kevin Yamamura, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5548.
