Bloomberg Vetoes Lead Paint Cleanup

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg vetoed New York City Council legislation that would have made more landlords remove lead paint from apartments where children could be poisoned from exposure to the toxic metal.

Council Speaker Gifford Miller called the veto a "serious, serious mistake."

Bloomberg said the legislation exposed the city and landlords to lawsuits, would be costly to carry out and might result in housing discrimination against families with children.

The city banned the paint in 1960, but thousands of older dwellings still contain it.