One of the pieces of legislation he is expected to sign into a law is a proposal to require restaurant chains in California to show the calorie count on each menu item. It will apply to dining establishments with 20 or more outlets in California, which would cover about 17,000 eateries.
Implementation of the law would be in two phases. The first, effective July 1, 2009, will require restaurants to provide brochures that should have nutritional information including calorie counts and grams of saturated fat. Beginning Jan. 1, 2011, all menus and menu boards on restaurant counters will be required to have calorie information for each item.
The legislation was authored by state Sen. Alex Padilla. In a statement, Padilla explained, "The way Californians order food is about to change... All Californians will soon be empowered with reliable, accessible nutrition information that will help them make more informed, healthier choices."
The bill is patterned after a similar law in New York.
Among the bills that the governor has already signed were measures that would ease gridlock in downtown Los Angeles through toll lanes and protection of animal researchers from threats. But Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill to remove communism as a reason for booting out a state employee.
Schwarzenegger has two days left to sign or veto hundreds of pending bills he set aside to concentrate on passing the state budget. As of Sunday, he has vetoed 131 bills, while 341 are still waiting for his decision.
For 2008 the governor has vetoed 278 bills and given the rate he rejects proposed laws, he will likely beat his own record of 311 vetoes he made in 2004.
