Assemblyman John Pérez on Arnold’s Illegal Vetos

SACRAMENTO – In this Democratic weekly address, Assemblymember John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles), Chair of Assembly Democratic Caucus, calls the line-item vetoes Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger made to budget solution bills passed by the legislature last week illegal.  Pérez says “according to the California Supreme Court, the Governor’s authority to line-item veto only applies to new appropriations,” but that the bills the governor made line-item vetoes to this week only made cuts to the budget he already signed and made line-item vetoes to in February.  Pérez says “Our State Constitution only allows the Governor to reduce or eliminate spending when it is first enacted,” and that, “He does not get a second bite at the apple now.”

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vvmDlz68e6M [/youtube]