Budget Cuts On The Way In California
The Sacramento Bee
reports that Gubernator Arnold Schwarzenegger vowed to "go all out" to slash spending after voters rejected lawmakers' proposed solutions to close a portion of the gaping budget deficit two days ago.
Wednesday marked a flurry of Capitol activity after election results expanded the state's projected fiscal gap by $6 billion – from an estimated $15.4 billion to $21.3 billion. A joint budget committee announced that it will begin a marathon series of meetings today.
...
Schwarzenegger promised to make severe reductions in education, health care and law enforcement. "Every department, every agency, every board needs to essentially be on the table for consolidation, downsizing and, in some cases, elimination," said Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo, who will become Assembly GOP leader June 1.
Layoff notices are already arriving as detailed in a separate
report at the Bee, some 5,000 state workers receiving notices this week alone.
And it looks as though elected officials who have thus far failed to make the tough budget decisions may be in for a hefty pay cut as discussed in this
story, also at the Bee.
Declaring that elected officials must share the pain of California's fiscal crisis, an independent commission voted Wednesday to impose an 18 percent future pay cut for statewide elected officials and all members of the Legislature.
...
The pay cut approved Wednesday won't go into effect until December 2010 because the California Constitution prohibits cutting the salaries of elected state officers in the middle of their terms.
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