California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has vetoed legislation that would have required all schools in the state to use the least hazardous pesticides available.
In his veto message, Schwarzenegger says that although he supports using integrated pest management at schools "to the greatest extent possible," he rejected the bill because it would have required the Department of Pesticide Regulation (DPR) to reimburse all local agencies and school districts for costs associated with such programs.
"I cannot support paying for this school program out of an alternative fund at DPR," the governor says. "To do so would start a dangerous precedent for finding unrelated revenue sources to fund, expand or create K-12 programs."