Now that we've all enjoyed a truncated Valentine's Day (and let's face it, who needed more chocolate?), it's time to turn our attention to Satuday night at the fights... er, the debate and expected vote on a $40 billion budget deficit fix.

With that, some odds and ends worth knowing before the fists start flying:

* Special Election: According to budget overview documents from the Assembly, the special election for voters to consider the five budget-related measures will be on Tuesday, May 19. All along, lawmakers have stressed that the election needs to be sooner, not later, in order to get the budget fix in place. Of course, the short timeline also does two other things: ensure some frazzled nerves on the part of local elections officials who must organize in a hurry, and apparently prevent any outside initiative from qualifying in time to be on the ballot alongside the legislative measures.

* Updated Numbers: There have been a lot of budget package numbers out there, which means it's time for an update on the official deal. The 17 month proposal includes $40.8 billion in solutions ($14.8 billion between now and July, $26 billion in the upcoming fiscal year). Reduced expenses total about $15.1 billion, new taxes total about $14.4 billion, and borrowing comes in at $11.3 billion. As has been reported elsewhere, some of these totals could be scaled back depending on the amount of federal stimulus money that comes to California.

* Stimulus Package Costs: The budget deal includes new tax breaks for large corporations, Hollywood movie productions, and small businesses that hire new workers. It's a little hard to calculate, especially because no one knows exactly how much of the allowed credits will be used, and because the credits kick in at different times. But were they all to be counted together, it's fair to assume the low end of the cost of these combined tax credits is about $1 billion a year. The corporate tax break could be even bigger by official legislative estimates, making the annual price tag for this package to close to $2 billion. It should be noted that only the corporate tax credit is permanent (starting in 2011), while the others are temporary; of course, the corporate tax change is also the most expensive.

* The "RAW Deal": Of all the budget fixes that would be scratched if enough fed money comes through, it appears the first one on the list is Governor Schwarzenegger's plan for almost $6 billion in borrowing through the use of revenue anticipation warrants (RAWs). RAW borrowing is usually used for short-term cash needs, not for budgetary spending. And the Legislative Analyst's Office has suggested the plan may be illegal, given the borrowing constraints in 2004's Proposition 58.

You can read the Assembly floor report here. More tonight as it develops.