Democratic lawmakers said they would hold their first hearing on the governor's package by the end of the month. Schwarzenegger, who introduced his plan a few weeks ago, asked whether the Legislature was taking "sleeping pills" and said he was running out of patience.
The governor has said that if the Legislature did not pass his proposals and put them on the ballot for voters to approve, a series of initiatives written by his allies and endorsed by Schwarzenegger would be readied on the same subjects.
The Legislature has until April 29 to put something on the ballot.
"Now what we are going to do is, we are going to go to the people," Schwarzenegger said to big applause. "Let them go ahead and do whatever they want. The train has left the station."
Schwarzenegger began his speech with some rhetorical red meat for the conservative crowd, making a joke about the family of his wife, Maria Shriver. He said it was amazing that the New England Patriots won the Super Bowl again, adding: "It's great to see a New England dynasty that is not the Kennedys."
