Feel the Pain: Brown Reveals New Budget for California

Gov. Jerry Brown talks to reporters after meeting with members of the California State Association of Counties, on his first full day in office in Sacramento, Calif., Tue. Jan. 4, 2011. Brown said he discussed his plan to shift funding and responsibility for many state programs to local governments. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

California Governor Jerry Brown has been slowly peeling the band-aid off the "deep cuts" of his proposed state budget since he was sworn in last week. Brown released the budget today, which reflects a "painful spending plan affecting all aspects of state government," according to the Daily News.

Brown's budget is a $84.6-billion general fund, 18-month spending plan which aims to eradicate the state's $28 billion shortfall includes provisions to "slash welfare spending in half, cut nearly 20% from the state's university system and reduce healthcare coverage for the poor -- while aksing [sic] that voters approve an array of tax increases," according to the LA Times. California's K-12 public education system will be largely spared the "pain."

"It's better to take our medicine now and get the state on balanced footing," said Brown. The Times breaks down the cuts as follows:

$1.5 billion from welfare
$1.7 billion from Medi-Cal
$500 million each from the UC and CSU systems
$750 million from services for the developmentally disabled
And $200 million from the state bureaucracy

Download a .pdf of the full budget here.