BILL NUMBER:  SB 675
  VETOED	DATE: 09/30/2010




To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 675 without my signature.

SB 675 would allocate funds from the California Energy Commission's
(Commission) Energy Resource Programs Account (ERPA) to the
California Department of Education (CDE) for developing and
maintaining programs that focus on employment and training for energy
or water conservation, renewable energy, pollution reduction, or
similar technologies.

Throughout my tenure as Governor, I have been a staunch supporter of
increasing career-tech education opportunities for our young men and
women.  I continue to believe that career-tech education has a vital
role to play in helping to develop and sustain California's students
and our emerging green economy.

Nonetheless, given the current uses of the ERPA account at the
Commission and the precariously low balance in that fund, this bill
would require the Commission to increase the surcharge on electricity
users throughout California to pay for its provisions.  And even
after doing so, the Commission would still be required in the future
to cut its core programs to pay for this bill, including those
related to power plant licensing, renewable energy facility
licensing, and energy efficiency.

More importantly, I will not support increasing the surcharge on
electricity users to fund a K-12 Education program.  To do so would
start a dangerous precedent for finding unrelated revenue sources to
fund, expand, or create K-12 programs outside of the Proposition 98
guarantee.

Additionally, the bill only gives a minor role to the Commission in
developing the guidelines for the program.  Just as the Commission is
not an expert in navigating our state's complex education system,
neither are CDE employees proficient in the emerging technologies and
future of our green economy.  As such, the Commission should be CDE'
s partner in putting together this program so as to provide our
students with the right skills to enter our green economy.

If the program included in this bill was wholly funded using
Proposition 98 dollars and a greater role was given to the Commission
to develop guidelines in cooperation with the Department of
Education, I would sign it.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger