Newsom vetoes slew of bills over the weekend, bucks Dem legislature on progressive initiatives

California Gov. Gavin Newsom tossed out a slew of bills over the weekend, bucking several of his Democratic Party’s more progressive initiatives on things like standards for transgender care, regulating gas stoves and providing additional benefits for noncitizens.

Newsom, who has had to review more than 1,000 bills over the last few months ahead of Monday’s legislative deadline, vetoed AB 2442, AB 2513 and SB 227. 

AB 2442, which would have expedited medical licenses for applicants seeking to perform transgender surgical procedures and abortions, was declined by Newsom on Friday. 

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Gov. Gavin Newsom addressed the press over a new state budget. (California Governor’s Office)

“As the number of applicants who qualify for expedited licensure grows through legislation, the benefits of mandated prioritization may start to diminish, at the expense of potential negative impacts to other applicants,” Newsom said in his veto letter. “Additionally, the increase in staff needed to ensure expedited applications may lead to licensing fee increases.”

AB 2513 – a bill that would have required gas stoves to be sold with a warning label on them for potential toxins emitted – was also a hotly debated bill in the legislature but ultimately shot down by Newsom and dubbed a “static approach” that would fail to allow for timely updates to labeling content according to the most up-to-date scientific knowledge. 

“While I appreciate the author’s intent to provide consumers with information about the products they purchase, I am concerned that this bill codifies highly prescriptive labeling content that could only be changed by a future statutory amendment,” Newsom said in the veto letter.

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Newsom vetoed a homeless accountability bill. (Anadolu/Contributor)

Among the progressive bills shot down was also SB 227, which would’ve required the Employment Development Department (EDD) to create an Excluded Workers Program to provide unemployment-style benefits to noncitizens. 

Newsom said that while “California has taken taken important steps to advance inclusion and equity for undocumented workers and mixed-status families who contribute significantly to California’s economy and local communities,” Congress must uphold its duty to create solutions that offer a legitimate pathway to citizenship for long-term residents who have made significant contributions.

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The California state Capitol building in Sacramento on March 13, 2024. (Arturo Holmes/Getty Images for National Urban League)

“We can have a fair immigration system that works for families, U.S. workers, and employers, and also have a safe border,” Newsom said. “However, this bill sets impractical timelines, has operational issues, and requires funding that was not included in the budget.”

Also on Sunday, Newsom vetoed a bill to create safety measures for large artificial intelligence models, which would have been the first such law in the nation. 

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Some high-profile bipartisan bills aren’t immune to being tossed out, either. Last week, Newsom vetoed a bipartisan accountability legislation that would’ve required more accountability and data reporting on the state’s spiraling homelessness crisis.

Already, Newsom has signed a package of public safety bills aimed at reducing organized retail theft. He’s also vetoed a number of progressive bills, including several that would have expanded aid to illegal immigrants through housing loans and permitted employment through the University of California (UC) system, and a reparations package for Black residents.

Promising to tackle the mental health crisis among young people, the blue state governor also signed a historic bill restricting cellphones in schools.

Newsom often vetoes bills if they appear redundant or the cost would further burden the state’s budget shortfall, according to a CalMatters analysis. Last year, Newsom vetoed 156 bills and signed 890, reflecting a veto rate of about 15%, similar to the previous year. His veto rate in 2021 was under 8%.