CALIFORNIA, USA — While Gov. Gavin Newsom is in Mexico to attend the inauguration of its first female president, legislators’ work isn’t done — and some who also planned to go aren’t thrilled to be stuck in Sacramento.
Today, Assemblymembers will meet in a special session called by Newsom to consider legislation that seeks to ease gas price spikes, including his proposal that would require refineries to keep a minimum supply of fuel. Republican legislators and oil companies argue that the measure will actually raise gas prices. Nevertheless, the bill passed a key committee last week.
Before he left, Newsom cleared the nearly 40 bills remaining on his desk Monday morning. Since the Legislature adjourned on Aug. 31, he vetoed 183 of about 990 measures in total, making his veto rate roughly 18%.
Even Assembly Republican leader James Gallagher of Chico gave the governor credit for blocking “some pretty bad/stupid” bills, citing Senate Bill 961, which would have mandated speed warning tech in new vehicles, starting in 2030.
Other vetoed bills include:
- Automatic voter registration: Proponents originally sought to create an automatic voter registration system in California. The version Newsom spiked was watered down to just allow the Secretary of State to create a list of people “preapproved for registration.” Besides cost concerns, Newsom wrote in his veto message that the “proposed system would capture those who have already declined to register, a decision that should be respected as a matter of personal prerogative.”
- College athletes: Saying that he wants California colleges to continue to “be competitive” with schools in other states, Newsom blocked a bill that would have brought more transparency to paying college athletes for using their name, image and likeness.
And on his last day to act on bills, Newsom also green-lit some:
- Legacy admissions: A measure to prohibit private, nonprofit universities from making admissions decisions based on whether family members of students donated money to the school or had attended the school. In a statement, Newsom said that the “California Dream shouldn’t be accessible to just a lucky few.” The legislation would impact about a half-dozen private institutions (none of California’s public universities consider legacy admissions).
- Oil well monitoring: A measure that gives oil and gas companies 3 1/2 more years to start detecting and fixing leaking wells near homes and schools. The bill was born out of a request from state air and water regulators who said they needed more time to hire staff, test leak-detecting techniques and develop policies.
- Cannabis cafes: After issuing emergency regulations in September to limit the sale of consumable hemp products, Newsom signed a bill to allow cannabis retailers to sell non-cannabis food and drinks, as well as host live performances.
For a rundown of key bills decided by Newsom during September, check out the CalMatters tracker.
This article was originally published by CalMatters.
