Schwarzenegger Plan To Combat Obesity Draws Criticism in Senate
On Wednesday Sen. Alex Padilla (D-Pacoima) charged that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) has failed to follow through on recommendations from a summit the governor convened aimed at reducing obesity in California, the Sacramento Bee reports.
During a meeting of the Senate Select Committee on Obesity and Diabetes, Padilla noted that Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill (SB 120) that would have required restaurant chains to provide nutrition information to consumers, something that had been recommended at the governor's 2005 obesity summit.
Padilla plans to reintroduce the bill today.
Mark Horton, director of the Department of Public Health, did not dispute Padilla's findings that some companies had not followed through on pledges made at the governor's summit but said he could cite as many cases in which companies met their commitments (Rojas, Sacramento Bee, 2/21).
Schwarzenegger's "anti-obesity plan appears to rely heavily on congratulating private companies for stuff they haven't done yet," Steve Wiegand writes in his Bee column.
According to Wiegand, "Padilla may be holding a grudge" because Schwarzenegger vetoed his bill last year, but Schwarzenegger's failure to fund anti-obesity bills he has signed will ensure that the efforts "continue to languish" (Wiegand, Sacramento Bee, 2/21).