Gov. Schwarzenegger: Track Record
9th Nov 2005, 20:46 GMT
S.F. Chronicle’s Carla Marinucci reports: “Democrats during the special election campaign have tried to tar Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger as a Republican ideologue tied to corporate interests. His record on legislation, however, reflects some actions that appeal to a wide cross-section of voters.” Schwarzenegger acted on a series of bills that reflected a more moderate leaning, including: Video games — The governor signed a bill banning the sale of ultra-violent video games to children under the age of 18. His action came despite opposition from the industry and the threat of a lawsuit, which has since been filed. Cosmetics — The governor signed legislation that will require the makers of beauty products to disclose ingredients that could cause cancer. The industry opposed the bill, but it was supported by cancer advocates and environmentalists. Steroids — A bill that bans the use of dietary supplements by high school athletes was signed by Schwarzenegger a year after he vetoed a similar bill. He had been widely criticized for that veto because of his close ties to the industry. Obesity — He approved a bill banning the sale of sodas on all school campuses and which raised the nutritional standards for all school lunches, despite objections from food manufacturers and the California Chamber of Commerce. Schwarzenegger also vetoed many bills, reflecting a more conservative stance, including: Same-sex marriage — A bill that would have given same-sex partners the right to marry was vetoed by the governor, much to the delight of conservatives, who complained he took too long to make clear his intention to reject the bill. Driver’s licenses — Once again the governor vetoed a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants the right to have a driver’s license. The effort to grant licenses to undocumented immigrants has been a focal point of conservatives for several years and was an important factor in the recall election against Democratic Gov. Gray Davis. Minimum wage — Pleasing business groups, the governor vetoed a bill that would have raised the minimum wage by $1 over two years and automatically tied future increases to the pace of inflation. The governor’s staff said that it was willing to consider a compromise but that Democrats refused. Children’s health insurance — Saying the state could not afford the extra costs, Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have expanded the current health insurance programs for children of working poor and uninsured families. Nurse lift teams — Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have put into place a “zero lift” policy for nurses, requiring the use of cranes or other devices to lift patients. The measure was strongly opposed by hospitals and supported by nurses, who have been one of the governor’s chief opponents this year. In all fairness, Gov. Schwarzenegger can hardly be called “radical,” “right wing” or “extreme.” But that doesn’t stop his opponents.
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