City News Service, Inc.

SANTA MONICA — An executive order Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger issued today that freezes implementation of pending state regulations was “a special interest coup d’etat,” a Santa Monica-based organization charged.

Schwarzenegger’s order requires the regulations to be subjected to duplicative review for their impact on business.

Set for review are regulations affecting doctors’ negligence settlements, drinking water, privacy and pesticides.

The executive order “forces governmental agencies to do their job twice,” and “gives big business a reprieve on consumer and environmental protection laws passed during the last two years,” said Jamie Court, president of The Foundation for Taxpayer and Consumer Rights.

“This is both a waste of taxpayer money and an abuse of power,” Court said. “The regulatory process is where a governor can slow and stop legislation that his contributors do not like.

“This executive order rolls back vital public protections and only serves the large industries that have fought tooth and nail to make sure they do not become law.”

A call to the governor’s office for a response was not immediately returned.