(October 12, 2009) The California Chamber of Commerce today announced that Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed all six “job killer” bills sent to his desk for action by the Legislature. He also signed two CalChamber-supported “job creator” bills.
Since taking office Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed more than 90 percent of the “job killer” bills that have been sent to his desk.
During the 2009 session the following “job killer” bills were vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger:
Costly Workplace Mandates
AB 943 (Mendoza; D-Artesia) Hampers Employment Decisions — Would have unduly restricted the ability of businesses to use all legally available information in employment decisions, including consumer credit reports. Vetoed.
SB 789 (Steinberg; D-Sacramento) Increased Agricultural Costs — Undermined the process that now guarantees, through secret-ballot elections, a fair vote and the expression of agricultural employees’ true sentiments on the selection of a collective bargaining representative. This act will hurt California’s businesses by driving up costs, making employers less competitive in a global market. Vetoed on September 2.
Economic Development Barriers
AB 1404 (De León; D-Los Angeles) Discourages Emission Reductions — Would have significantly increased business costs and threatened state jobs and businesses by severely limiting the amount of offsets California industries could have used to meet their greenhouse gas emission goals. Vetoed.
Inflated Liability Costs
AB 2 (De La Torre; D-South Gate) Health Insurance Litigation — Would have driven up the cost of health care premiums and increased the number of uninsured by establishing litigation as the only meaningful approach to resolving disputes over rescinding coverage. Vetoed.
AB 793 (Jones; D-Sacramento) Unreasonable New Liability for Employers —Imposed unfair and costly litigation burden on California employers by unreasonably expanding employer liability in workplace lawsuits far beyond the federal Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009. Vetoed.
SB 242 (Yee; D-San Francisco/San Mateo) New Lawsuits Against Small Business — Could have resulted in new shakedown lawsuits against business establishments by making it a strict liability violation of the Unruh Civil Rights Act, subject to minimum damages of $4,000, if a business limits the use of a customer’s language, even if unintentionally. Vetoed.
Job Creator Bills 
During the 2009 session the following “job creator” bills were signed by Governor Schwarzenegger:
- SB 827 (Wright; D-Inglewood), formerly SB 696 (Wright; D-Inglewood) Supports Construction of Vital Projects — Prevents the loss of thousands of jobs and keeps businesses in California by re-establishing the South Coast Air Quality Management District credit bank.
- AB 333 (Fuentes; D-Sylmar) New Home Construction — Facilitates the smooth recovery of the housing market by extending the life of active tentative subdivision maps and parcel maps for a period of two years. AB 333 was signed by Governor on July 15.
Cumulative Job Killer Vetoes
In 2009, CalChamber identified 33 pieces of “job killing” legislation. At the end of the legislative session, only six were still active and sent to the Governor. In previous years, Governor Schwarzenegger has vetoed CalChamber identified “job killer” bills that reached his desk as follows:
- 2008 — Nine of 10 “job killer” bills vetoed;
- 2007 — Twelve of 12 “job killer” bills vetoed;
- 2006 — Nine of 11 “job killer” bills vetoed;
- 2005 — Seven of eight “job killer” bills vetoed;
- 2004 — Ten out of 10 “job killer” bills vetoed.
Staff Contact: Marc Burgat