Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger threatened publicly Thursday what he has hinted privately for days: He will veto many of the 700-plus bills on his desk unless a water deal is struck this week.
"I made it very clear to the legislators and to the leaders that if this does not get done, then I will veto a lot of their legislation, a lot of their bills, so that should inspire them to go and get the job done," he said.
Schwarzenegger's threat came at the end of remarks to the Association of Community College Trustees' Leadership Congress in San Francisco.
Hours later, Schwarzenegger met behind closed doors at the Capitol with legislative leaders of both parties in hopes of reaching agreement to ease water supply and Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta problems that have been brewing for decades.
More talks are anticipated before Schwarzenegger must take action by midnight Sunday on bills passed recently by the Legislature.
Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg dismissed the governor's veto comments as a "sideshow."
"I have every confidence that when it's all said and done, and all the noise has gone away, the governor will consider the bills on their merits," Steinberg said.
But the Sacramento Democrat also expressed frustration with the threat.
"It assumes that it takes the governor to encourage us to work harder on water. I couldn't be working any harder, actually, to try to get this done," Steinberg said.
Assemblyman Alberto Torrico, D-Newark, blasted the threat as misconduct.
"We can all agree that political extortion is not an acceptable practice in this state," he said. "But the governor's renewed threats are coming perilously close to extortion."
Other Assembly members privately have floated the idea of filing articles of impeachment if the governor vetoes bills en masse as punishment.
Senate GOP leader Dennis Hollingsworth said he is not concerned.
"There is nothing more important than a water deal right now," the Murrieta Republican said.
Call Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5538.
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