Arguing that the furloughs of tens of thousands of state workers is "costing the state money and further hurting the economy," the leader of the state Senate says he intends to push a plan to trim the three days of furloughs every month down to two.
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For those who wanted a quick fix to California's prison woes, some advice: don't hold your breath.

Eleven days after the state Senate narrowly approved a wide-ranging plan to change the prison system, the Assembly has now approved a much narrower version... one which seems destined to sit for a little while, as policy and politics matters are sorted out.
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As we reported in this morning's radio story for The California Report, yesterday's action (and inaction) by the Legislature on a major prison reform bill fell victim to one of the essential truths in politics: a deal's not done until it's done.

And this one wasn't done... which is why we all get to come back Monday and try again.
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My Wesbter's Dictionary defines an appropriation as "money officially authorized to be paid from a public treasury."

If only it were that simple. Expect a heated debate in the near future as to whether Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision last week to line-item veto almost $500 million in spending was within his powers as chief executive... or not.

The latest salvo comes today, as the office of Legislative Counsel says Schwarzenegger overstepped his authority.
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By now, most of us who lived through the saga that resulted in a package of proposals to resolve the state's budget deficit have recovered.

But in the same way you'd clean up the beer bottles, empty the trash, and try to piece together what you remember after a raucous bash, it's worth sifting through the deal making, the politics involved, and maybe a few of the lasting impressions that culminated with the events of the 20-plus hours between Thursday evening and Friday afternoon.
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That was the assessment of Assembly Speaker Karen Bass as negotiations over the state's massive budget deficit ended tonight with no deal, a major change in tone from earlier in the day when a deal seemed imminent.

The 'Big Five' meeting of legislative leaders and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger ended just before 10:00 p.m., with Democrats saying that future payments to public schools are now a key sticking point.
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Reform (ri form'), noun.
1. The improvement of what is wrong, corrupt, or unsatisfactory. [Webster's Dictionary]
2. A proposal whose merit depends on your political persuasion [Dictionary of Common Sense, never published... but in demand]

If the debate over California's gaping budget deficit is as it appears this second week of the new fiscal year, we're going to be spending a lot of time examining not only how much programmatic change certain programs need... but also how much of that change can happen quickly.
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It was a busy second day of the new fiscal year at the printing facility tucked inside a quiet business park in a shaded east Sacramento neighborhood. But unlike most days, they weren't printing thousands of checks paid by the state of California.

This time, they were printing documents that aren't worth anything. For now, at least.
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You're not really surprised that things turned out this way today, are you?

Of course, that's not to say that some parts of today's budget news weren't unexpected. And few would venture a guess as to what happens next... though indications are the Legislature will be spending the final weekend of June in session.

For a formal look at today's events, dial in to The California Report tomorrow morning. In the meantime...
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In the theater or the movies, we'd call this the beginning of Act Two. In baseball, it's probably the sixth inning.

We now have two relatively complete looks at how to resolve the gaping hole in the state budget -- one from Governor Schwarzenegger, one from legislative Democrats -- with the Dem plan headed for a vote on the floor of each house as soon as Monday.
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