LEGISLATION - Big business on a hot streak with governor - Schwarzenegger vetoes 12 of 12 proposals that the state Chamber of Commerce had slammed as 'job killers.'
SACRAMENTO — For weeks, they trooped to the state Capitol. Consumer activists sought help to fight ID theft and protect their checking accounts and credit cards. Permanently injured workers rallied for better insurance benefits. Farmworkers held a noisy vigil in front of the Capitol to bolster their union organizing efforts.
Last weekend the rallies had ceased, the lobbying had ended and the governor worked into the night, signing or vetoing the final stack of this year's bills. In all, he signed 750 bills in 2007 and vetoed 214.
When the smoke cleared Monday, there were plenty of grins and grumbles. But no group in Sacramento was smiling wider than one of the governor's most predictable allies: big business and its Sacramento mouthpiece, the California Chamber of Commerce.
In recent years, the chamber has focused much of its lobbying firepower on an annual list of "job killer" bills. This year, Schwarzenegger complied with 12 out of 12 chamber requests for vetoes on those bills. In 2006, he vetoed nine of 11 bills that the chamber listed as job killers.
"The chamber has had more success than most in getting vetoes," said Steve Blackledge, legislative director for the California Public Interest Research Group, a consumer advocate. "They draw a bright line in the sand and say, 'These bills have to be stopped.' They've got the governor as their backstop."
The chamber, which represents 16,000 large and small companies, is a major force in Sacramento. It has eight registered lobbyists on staff and operates out of a multistory suite of offices in a luxury high-rise headquarters two blocks from the Capitol. It and its members contribute hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to campaigns for politicians and ballot initiatives.
It's no surprise that the governor and chamber mostly are on the same page, particularly when it comes to keeping jobs in California, said Sabrina Lockhart, a Schwarzenegger spokeswoman. "There are times he will agree with the chamber and times he will disagree," she said.
Adds chamber President Allan Zaremberg: "Our agendas are aligned to ensure the economy stays strong and robust."
The governor didn't limit all of his pro-business vetoes to the chamber's list. He also killed a bill, supported by consumer advocates and law enforcement, that would have required retailers to protect their customers' financial information from being hacked in security breaches.
