Here’s a look at the failed proposals and why Newsom vetoed them:
Assembly Bill 1238: Decriminalizing jaywalking
This bill would have removed fines for crossing the street outside of a crosswalk unless there’s imminent danger. Supporters said that the police used jaywalking laws as pretext to detain people for no good reason.
But Newsom worried the law could unintentionally increase the state’s already high rate of pedestrian fatalities.
He wrote in his veto that he was committed to working on legislation “that addresses the unequal enforcement of jaywalking laws in a manner that does not risk worsening California’s pedestrian safety.”
A.B. 122: Allowing cyclists to roll through stop signs
Newsom also made a safety argument for this bill, which would have allowed cyclists to treat stop signs as yields. Supporters had said it was a common-sense measure that’s already been put into place in other parts of the country.
But the governor said he feared that the legislation intended to increase bicyclist safety would have “the opposite effect.”
A.B. 123: Boosting family-leave payments
This bill would have increased how much money workers receive while taking paid family leave. Currently, the payments are too small for low-wage workers to afford to take advantage of the benefit, CalMatters reports.
But in his veto message, Newsom said the expansion would create significant new costs for workers and the state.
The bill’s author, Assemblywoman Lorena Gonzalez, responded in a statement: “Until we make reforms to the program, low- and middle-income families will continue to be left behind, while their tax dollars subsidize paid family leave for higher-income workers.”
A.B. 1456: Expanding college financial aid
This measure would have significantly loosened eligibility requirements for college financial aid so that tens of thousands of additional students could receive assistance.
But Newsom deemed the proposal, expected to cost between $85 million to $175 million a year, too pricey. In his veto, he suggested that such a change be made through the annual budgeting process.
A.B. 616: Allowing farmworkers to vote to unionize by mail
Under this measure, farmworkers would have been able to mail in or drop off ballot cards for union elections with the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board office, instead of having to vote in person.
Newsom vetoed the bill because of what he called “various inconsistencies and procedural issues” and said he would work to develop new legislation to help protect agricultural workers’ right to collectively bargain.
Unions are linked to higher wages and better benefits, yet virtually no farmworkers are unionized, CalMatters reports. The governor’s decision disappointed many farmworkers who supported him in the recall.
Senate Bill 660: Barring paid signature gathering
This bill probably would have made it more difficult for initiatives and recall attempts to qualify for the ballot, such as the one that Newsom survived last month.
But in his veto, Newsom said that paying signature gatherers based on how many signatures they obtain is the most affordable way for people to get measures on the ballot: Banning the practice “could therefore make the qualification of many initiatives cost-prohibitive for all but the wealthiest interests.”
Other proposals vetoed include:
Contents
If you read one story, make it this
This year’s largest blaze, the Dixie fire, created its own weather. We show you in 3-D.
What we’re eating
This broccoli and Cheddar soup.
What we’re reading
A new book by Adam Schiff, a Democratic congressman from California.
Tell us
I’m headed to San Diego soon to do some reporting. What should I write about?
Email me suggestions at [email protected].
And before you go, some good news
Monarch butterflies, which typically migrate to the West Coast ahead of winter, once numbered in the millions in California. But last year, fewer than 2,000 were found along the state’s coast.
In recent months, however, environmental groups have spotted more of the distinctive orange-and-black butterflies than they did in 2020, USA Today reports.
“These are very early numbers, so we need to be cautious to not read too much into this,” Scott Hoffman Black, executive director of the conservation group Xerces Society, told the news outlet. “But the numbers do lend some hope that we could see a slight rebound.”
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