The governor of California, Gavin Newsom, has recently vetoed many bills, stopping them from becoming law. This has been controversial because some of the proposed bills could have had positive effects. An example of one of these bills is one that was supposed to lower the price of Insulin. Insulin is a medical product that is used by people who have diabetes because without it they will die. The price of Insulin is very high which is making it hard for people to afford it. The bill was supposed to lower the price of Insulin to a maximum of $35 for a month’s worth of supply. Gavin Newsom vetoed the bill and said “California will soon start making its brand of Insulin that will cost $30 per vial.” This has been very controversial because even if Gavin Newsom is telling the truth, this will take time to develop, which people suffering from diabetes may not have. This sentiment was directly stated by state senator Scoot Weiner, who called the bill “ A major setback that will keep tens of thousands of diabetic Californians trapped in a terrible choice between buying Insulin and buying food.”
This is one of many controversial vetoes of bills, with another being related to punishing class inequality in the state. Newsom vetoed a bill that would ban Caste discrimination, caste-meaning a type of class system used in India, and South-Asian countries. Many South Asian immigrants live in California, which is why this bill was passed. A lot of these immigrants feel like they are being discriminated against, by their caste. The bill would have made this explicitly illegal and given them more protection. This is why the decision to veto the bill was very disheartening to the South Asian Populus. Newsom claimed that the people already had protection and that the bill was simply unnecessary. This was a controversial statement, which has come under fire from a lot of activist groups. These are two examples of many bills that Newsom has vetoed, he has been in controversy for the last few years, and I think that these recent bills that he has vetoed will cause even more controversy.
