To the Members of the California State Senate:

I am returning Senate Bill 836 without my signature.

California has the strongest workplace laws against discrimination and harassment in the
country.  These laws provide workers necessary protections from unfair retaliation,
discipline, and termination for matters unrelated to job performance.

Although I support these laws, expanding workplace protections to include something as
ambiguous as “familial status” is not appropriate.  This bill will not only result in endless
litigation to try and define what discrimination on the basis of “familial status” means, it
will also unnecessarily restrict employers’ ability to make personnel decisions.

For these reasons, I am returning SB 836 without my signature.

Sincerely,

Arnold Schwarzenegger

The San Francisco Chronicle has a story about a few of the bills awaiting action by the Governor, including SB  836.