VALLEY-BORN BILLS GET ARNOLD'S AX AT STEEPER RATE.

Byline: Harrison Sheppard Sacramento Bureau

Despite strong Democratic ties, San Fernando Valley legislators were able to get nearly four dozen bills signed into law this year by Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

But Schwarzenegger also vetoed Valley lawmakers' bills at a higher- than-average rate - axing 23 Valley measures, or 35 percent, compared with an overall veto rate of 24 percent.

Some Democrats believe the governor - who signed a total of 729 bills and vetoed 232 and painted himself as a moderate during the recall campaign - has moved to the right this year as he faces a special election in which he needs support from the Republican Party's conservative base.

``My impression is that the governor's suffering from political schizophrenia,'' said Assemblyman Dario Frommer, D-Glendale. ``He's trying to balance his right-wing base against where most Californians are politically. So he's all over the map on things.''

Among Schwarzenegger's major vetoes of Democratic bills were a minimum-wage hike, driver's licenses for illegal immigrants and gay marriage.

Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez, D-Los Angeles, said that record demonstrates how the governor has changed since taking office.

``Certainly if you look at his action on bills, the one thing you can conclude is this is not the moderate Californians elected,'' Nunez said.

The governor's spokeswoman Margita Thompson said the governor makes his decisions on the merits of a particular bill, not on an appeal to politics or shoring up his base.

``If people want to look at things through a political prism, certainly that's standard operating procedure for them,'' Thompson said.

Regardless of the motivation, Valley legislators came out relatively successful this year.

And, in fact, the only Valley legislator who did not have a bill signed by the governor this year was a Republican - Sen. Tom McClintock, R- Thousand Oaks.

McClintock, a maverick fiscal conservative who is often at odds with the Democratic majority in the Legislature, was simply unable to get any of his 17 bills out of the Legislature and onto the governor's desk.

McClintock could not be reached for comment.

Among bills from Valley legislators that Schwarzenegger signed were Frommer's bill making price information about the 25 most common hospital procedures available to the public so that patients can comparison-shop among different facilities.

Assemblywoman Cindy Montanez, D-San Fernando, was finally able this year to get her ``Car Buyer's Bill of Rights'' passed and signed by the governor, after a previous veto.

This year, Montanez modified the bill in negotiations with car dealers to include restriction on dealer markups, a definition of ``certified used'' vehicles and a two-day cooling-off period for consumers to return vehicles.

Assemblyman Lloyd Levine, D-Van Nuys, was pleased that the governor signed his bill to increase the use of rubberized asphalt in state highways.

The material is made from recycled tires, helping to reduce the volume of tires in landfills, and also makes roads that last longer and provide a better surface for cars, Levine said.

``We should be doing a better job (recycling tires) than we are, so I'd like to see us aggressively increase our use of it,'' Levine said. ``It solves a big environmental problem and at the same time it gives Californians better road services.''

Schwarzenegger also signed a bill by Assemblywoman Audra Strickland, R-Westlake Village, that was designed to respond to an incident earlier this year when a tiger owned by a Moorpark couple escaped and wandered Ventura County hillsides for a month before being shot by authorities.

Strickland's bill puts more restrictions on the ownership of exotic animals, including requirements to register the animal and immediately report when it escapes.

Most bills that were signed this year take effect Jan. 1, 2006 - or immediately if they were passed as urgency measures by a two-thirds vote.

Harrison Sheppard, [phone]

harrison.sheppard(at)dailynews.com