BILL NUMBER:  AB 558
  VETOED	DATE: 09/29/2010




To the Members of the California State Assembly:

I am returning Assembly Bill (AB) 558 without my signature.

This bill is similar to AB 1017 (2009), which I also vetoed.
Unfortunately, while this measure is well-intended, it continues to
ignore the precarious fiscal conditions of California's crime
laboratories.  Indeed, as noted by the California Crime Laboratory
Review Task Force in its 2009 report, DNA, fingerprints, and firearms
testing have been identified as areas where requests often exceed
staffing capabilities.  The Task Force also noted that in order to
eliminate the backlog for DNA testing, an additional 282 analysts
would have to be funded.  Unfortunately, AB 558 will not provide any
additional funding or staffing for crime laboratories and will
instead divert resources away from testing to sending reports to the
Department of Justice.  In this time of fiscal crisis, I cannot
condone this shift in priorities.

For these reasons, I am unable to sign this bill.

Sincerely,



Arnold Schwarzenegger