BILL NUMBER:  AB 2946
  VETOED	DATE: 09/29/2006




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill 2946 without my signature.

The California Constitution provides the People the right to directly
enact laws, approve amendments to the Constitution, to reject laws
passed by the legislature and signed by the Governor, and to remove
those elected from office.  As envisioned by Hiram Johnson, this
important democratic process gives the people direct control over
their government and is one of our most important means to prevent
out of control special interests.

This measure is a direct assault on the Peoples right to initiative,
referendum and recall.  By requiring signatures to be held invalid if
a petition has any sort of defect, this bill would allow legal
technicalities to thwart the will of hundreds of thousands of
Californians who choose to sign initiative petitions.  This runs
counter to the long-standing judicial policy of applying a liberal
construction to the peoples power of the initiative.

The prohibitions on per-signature payments will make it more
difficult for grass-roots organizations to get the necessary
signatures in the time allotted. As I have said before making the
process more difficult may be fine for those opposed to the
initiative process or those who profit from it, but it is not for
everyday Californians with an idea for reform.

For these reasons, I am returning this bill without my signature.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger