Gov. Brown Vetoes Family Child Care Provider Unionization Bill Today,

Governor Jerry Brown vetoed AB 101 (Assembly Speaker Perez and Senate Pro Tem Steinberg), the last-minute measure which would have allowed the organization of and collective bargaining for licensed and license-exempt family child care home providers. Here is his veto message: To the Members of the California State Assembly: Maintaining the quality and affordability of childcare is a very important goal. So too is making sure that working conditions are decent and fair for those who take care of our children. Balancing these objectives, however, as this bill attempts to do, is not easy or free from dispute.

Today California, like the nation itself, is facing huge budget challenges. Given that reality, I am reluctant to embark on a program of this magnitude and potential cost. I am returning Assembly Bill 101 without my signature. Bill Allowing Vehicle Ownership by CalWORKs Recipients Is Vetoed, Too The Governor also vetoed AB 1182 (Roger Hernández) which would have deleted the requirement that county welfare departments assess the value of a vehicle when determining and re-determining eligibility for applicants and recipients of the CalWORKs program. The author had sought to encourage CalWORKs families to build their personal savings and asset accumulation in order to become self-reliant and end their dependence on government assistance. An additional goal was to reduce the administrative burden on local welfare agencies by streamlining the application process, simplifying the program rules, decreasing paperwork and cutting down on county time that would be better served on the other human services programs it is entrusted by the state to administer. Indeed, since 2001, counties have been underfunded for their cost of doing business by $1.2 billion.


According to the author, California is currently tied with Texas and Idaho in having the most restrictive asset test for vehicles of any state in the country. The following is the vehicle asset policy of the rest of the nation:

a) 12 states exclude all vehicles owned by the household;

b) 15 exclude at least one vehicle per household;
and c) 20 have substantially increased the value of the vehicle exclusion. In comparison, California employs a much more restrictive vehicle asset test. The author had argued that this policy undermines a worker's ability to gain and maintain employment, thereby encouraging continued reliance on public assistance.


Here is the Governor's veto message: To the Members of the California State Assembly: I am returning Assembly Bill 1182 without my signature. This bill would allow a person applying for welfare to have one car, or possibly more, of any value, rather than a maximum value of $4,650 under current law. In the last year, the state has been forced to make steep reductions in many programs, including the state's welfare-to-work program. As we go into the new year, we may have to make additional cuts. Until we better understand the fiscal outlook, we should not be making changes of this kind.


Both AB 101 and AB 1182 were on the Governor's list of bills he vetoed "to protect the State Budget and strengthen fiscal stability."

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Thanks for the update.

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