Brown rejects bill that let child have more than 2 legal parents

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A measure that would have allowed a child to have more than two legal parents, and another that would have given the media more access to prisoners were among a dozen bills vetoed by Gov. Jerry Brown on Sunday. The vetoes were two of 12 measures rejected by Brown on this final day for him to affirm or reject bills passed by lawmakers this year. As in past years, Brown saved many of the most controversial bills for the final day.

The parental measure, authored by Sen. Mark Leno, was blasted by social conservatives who said the measure was aimed at redefining the legal definition of a family to help pave the way for same-sex marriage. The author said it was simply changing state law to reflect 21st century realities.

In his veto message, Brown was vague about his concerns, saying he was “troubled by the fact that some family law specialists believe the bill’s ambiguities may have unintended consequences.”

Brown said he would like to have more time to consider the measure, an implicit invitation for Leno to send the bill back to his desk next year.

Brown also vetoed a bill that would have given the media more access to prisoners. A similar measure was vetoed several times by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“Giving criminals celebrity status through repeated appearances on television will glorify their crimes and hurt victims and their families,” Brown wrote in his veto message. “I agree that too little media access may be harmful, but too much can be as well.”

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--Anthony York in Sacramento