Republicans have derided the bill as a push to "unionize babysitters" and said it would raise state spending during a budget crisis. And in his veto message, the governor cited budget cuts and said "I am reluctant to embark on a program of this magnitude and potential cost." But Michael Cox with the bill's sponsor, the Service Employees International Union, says child care workers toil long hours and are often invisible to the public.
Cox: "All we're asking - and all they're asking - is to be allowed to join together at the table with a common voice to address some of the challenges that they face."
Also Tuesday, Brown signed a measure that will allow non-profit organizations to operate state parks that are closing due to budget cuts and a ban on the chemical known as B-P-A in baby bottles and "sippy cups."
He vetoed a bill that would have allowed welfare applicants to have a car valued at more than $4,650. In his veto message, the governor cited the state's budget crisis and said it's the wrong time to expand the state's CalWORKS program.
