Los Angeles Times

October 1, 2004
By Jordan Rau and Nancy Vogel

[Governor Schwarzenegger] vetoed a greater percentage of bills…than in all but one year since 1967, according to an analysis by state Senate staffers.

Thursday's legislative casualties included Democratic measures designed to stop car dealers from overcharging on loans….

The governor appeased another of his strongest supporters, the state's car dealers, by rejecting a measure that was intended by sponsors to protect car buyers from being ripped off. The bill would have limited the financing charges dealers could set for loans and forced them to reveal credit scores used to set those rates, which consumer activists said dealerships had been caught lying about.

Schwarzenegger and the car dealers lobby said they were willing to work with lawmakers next year to craft a more acceptable version.

"We appreciate the governor's ability to look beyond the exaggerated claims of consumer benefit for this bill and recognize it for the lemon it is," said Peter Welch, president of the California Motor Car Dealers Assn., whose members have given the governor hundreds of thousands of dollars in the last year.