Schwarzenegger Vetoes AB 2826 - Not Top Priority

AB 2826, that would have renamed Santa Ynez River Water Conservation District, Improvement District No. 1 (or ID No. 1) into a special district called the Santa Ynez Valley Water District with the primary purpose of eliminating conflicts between LAFCO and the Santa Ynez Valley Water District ID 1 was vetoed by the Governor Tuesday.

I’m sure the opponents of this bill will claim victory and credit for this but the truth is that the Governor has a priority list of bills he needs to address due to the delay of the 20089-2009 budget. The veto has nothing to do with the concerns raised by opponents in the valley, but I am sure they will beat their chests and pat themselves on the back none the less.

All told, Schwarzenegger vetoed 414 bills which is 35% of those sent to him in 2008.

Of those, 136 had the generic "the budget was late" veto stamp.

Here is the official Veto Message.


BILL NUMBER: AB 2686
VETOED DATE: 09/30/2008

To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2686 without my signature.

The historic delay in passing the 2008-2009 State Budget has forced
me to prioritize the bills sent to my desk at the end of the year's
legislative session. Given the delay, I am only signing bills that
are the highest priority for California. This bill does not meet
that standard and I cannot sign it at this time.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger