SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger announced Wednesday that he would not sign any bills lawmakers send him until they pass a budget and would veto measures already on his desk before they can become law.
"There is no excuse for the Legislature's failure to reach a compromise and to send me a budget," Schwarzenegger said at a news conference, more than a month into the new fiscal year. "Until the Legislature passes a budget that I can sign, I will not sign any bills that reach my desk."
Under state law, bills sitting on the governor's desk for more than 12 days would automatically become law. Schwarzenegger said he would keep that from happening by exercising his veto if necessary: "I will veto anything on my desk."
"Some good bills will fail," he said. "But we do not have the luxury of stretching out this process any longer."
There are 13 bills on the governor's desk now, all of which originated in the Senate. Senate leaders said they would withdraw them before they could be vetoed. The bills could be resubmitted before the Aug. 31 end of the legislative session.
Last week, Schwarzenegger ordered officials to drop the salaries of most of the state's 235,000 workers to the federal minimum wage of $6.55 an hour until a budget is passed; then they would be repaid. The governor also laid off more than 10,000 part-time and seasonal workers, saying the state was experiencing a cash crunch
Legislators are currently going without their salaries but will get back pay when a budget is in place. The governor said Wednesday that state law should be changed to force lawmakers to forfeit that money.
"They shouldn't be paid, and they should never get that money back," Schwarzenegger said.
Senate President Pro Tem Don Perata (D-Oakland) predicted that the governor's plan not to sign bills would backfire.
"My fear is that simply creates another tension between the administration and the Legislature that is really unnecessary," Perata said. "It's like we are escalating the wrong war."
Republicans, who are in the legislative minority, were less troubled.
"Great," said Sen. Jeff Denham (R-Atwater). "Many of the bills the Legislature passes do California more harm than good."
Eight of the 13 bills before Schwarzenegger were written by Republicans.
