On Friday, Gov. Jerry Brown vetoed two bills that would have made it easier for men to change their babies’ diapers in public areas, according to the Sacramento Bee. In doing so, Brown cited the conservative argument that California is already suffering under the burden of heavy regulations that are bad for business in the state.
SB 1358, authored by state Sen. Lois Wolk (D-Davis), would have forced state-owned buildings, local agency-owned buildings, restaurants, movie theaters and grocery stores, to make sure that there was a minimum of one diaper-changing table that men could use as well as women. SB 1350, submitted by Sen. Ricardo Lara (D-Bell Gardens), wanted virtually the same thing but would only require that the tables be installed in the future.
The California Legislature easily passed both bills with strong bipartisan support, but Brown issued the same response to both bills, writing that the bills were “…a good business practice, but not one that I am inclined to legislate. At a time when so many have raised concerns about the number of regulations in California, I believe it would be more prudent to leave the matter of diaper changing stations to the private sector. Already, many businesses have taken steps to accommodate their customers in this regard.”
Brown has yet to raise the same objection with regard to numerous other regulatory bills he has signed into law, however.
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