Arnold Schwarzenegger Signs Bills Allowing the Purchase of Dead Kangaroo Products and Semi-Automatic Pistols

Hum…seems the two have something in common. Sad but true, he’s a proponent of violence and unnecessary killing.

Article:

Governor allows kangaroo products in flurry of bill actions

http://www.sacbee.com/111/story/431194.html

By Kevin Yamamura - Bee Capitol Bureau

Published 4:36 pm PDT Saturday, October 13, 2007

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed bills legalizing the purchase of kangaroo products and requiring new semi-automatic pistols to include an identifying microstamp, and he vetoed a proposal to provide college financial aid to illegal immigrants, his office announced Saturday.

The gun legislation, Assembly Bill 1471 by Assemblyman Mike Feuer, D-Los Angeles, will make California the first state in the nation to require manufacturers to include technology in semi-automatic pistols that stamps the make, model and serial number on each cartridge fired. The requirement takes effect in January 2010 and was largely backed by Democrats and opposed by Republicans in the Legislature.

"While I appreciate and understand that this technology is not without limitations, I am signing this bill to provide law enforcement with an additional tool for solving crimes committed with semi-automatic handguns in California," Schwarzenegger wrote in a signing message.

The Republican governor vetoed Senate Bill 1 by Sen. Gil Cedillo, D-Los Angeles, which would have given undocumented immigrants access to community college fee waivers and other financial aid. The bill excluded those students from the state's competitive grant program after Schwarzenegger vetoed a similar proposal last year.

But in his veto message, Schwarzenegger again said he is concerned the proposal would place an "additional strain" on the state budget. He also noted that undocumented students already qualify for an in-state tuition rate.

The kangaroo proposal, SB 880 by Sen. Ron Calderon, D-Montebello, drew intense opposition from animal rights organizations who decried the manner in which the Australian marsupials are killed. But California retailers selling kangaroo soccer shoes said they faced a disadvantage because online firms based in 47 other states can legally sell such products.

Though he does not own kangaroo shoes, Schwarzenegger is an aficionado of animal-skin boots, such as those made from alligator or crocodile, which he also removed from a state list of banned animal products last year.

"Many good products are made from kangaroos harvested legally under Australian law and the federal Endangered Species Act and those products should be allowed to be on the California market," said Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear. "Importantly, this bill allows California to continue to prohibit the sale of products made from species of kangaroos that are listed as threatened or endangered under the federal endangered species act."

Schwarzenegger signed SB 490 by Sen. Elaine Alquist, D-San Jose, to ban trans fats from foods sold in vending machines or cafeterias at public schools in California starting in July 2009.

The governor also took action on several consumer bills. He signed SB 220 by Sen. Ellen Corbett, D-San Leandro, requiring bottled water companies to cite the origin of their product. Another signed Corbett bill, SB 250, will allow consumers to receive the cash value for gift cards with balances less than $10.

But he vetoed AB 779 by Assemblyman Dave Jones, D-Sacramento, to restrict businesses from storing sensitive payment data. The bill also sought to require companies to give consumers extensive information when a security breach occurs. It came as a response to the 2005-06 theft of more than 45 million credit card numbers from a T.J. Maxx and Marshall's database.

"Big business, hackers and ID thieves won today and consumers and common sense lost," Jones said in a statement. "I'm shocked and disappointed that the governor thinks our personal information should be left out in the open for identity thieves and hackers to pilfer."

In his veto message, Schwarzenegger wrote that the credit card industry has already established security protocols for the storage of payment data.

"This issue and the data security requirements found in this bill will drive up the costs of compliance, particularly for small businesses," Schwarzenegger added.