Maybe someone in the Department of Finance didn't get the memo: The California State Budget was supposed to be kept under wraps until next Tuesday, but since it was accidentally already posted online, they're going to publish it ahead of schedule this afternoon. more ›

June 15th is the day the State Budget gets voted on by our legislators, and as that day nears, Governor Jerry Brown has taken to YouTube with a video message about what he wants to do, and what he needs to happen to get it done. more ›

With California state revenue exceeding expectation, Gov. Jerry Brown wants to use to use an unexpected $6.6 billion "to boost education spending and help repair California’s battered finances," notes the LA Times. more ›

26 teachers were arrested during a protest at the Capitol over education budget cuts last night, reports the Huffington Post. The arrests occurred just after the building was supposed to close at 6:00 p.m. An officer with the California Highway Patrol, the group that made the arrests, said that teachers had been warned a number of times that they had to leave and did not comply. more ›

California's budget crisis is no day in the park. Literally. State parks are bracing for the bad news as the parks department may release list of properties to close as early as this week, reports ABC Local. Gov. Jerry Brown has ordered $22 million cut from the state's operating budget and that means parks and beaches are in danger of shutting down. more ›

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. more ›

Today acting California Governor Abel Maldonado sent a detailed letter to the White House requesting that President Obama declare the state a "major disaster" in order to release federal funds to aid in the response to our recent run of wet and wild winter storms. more ›

As soon as the new legislature is sworn in up in Sacramento next month, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger intends to put everyone to work on resolving California's staggering budget deficit. more ›

It's bigger...and badder...than we thought. No, it's not another Transformers movie. "The Legislative Analyst's Office projects that the state's looming deficit is $25.4 billion, much larger than legislative leaders had anticipated," reports the Sacramento Bee's Capitol Alert. At noon today, the LAO is expected to post their full report, which "will shed light on how bad next year's budget hole will be [...] and whether the economic forecast is likely to provide relief for the state's fiscal woes in coming years," said Capitol Alert earlier today, when the projected deficit was a mere $12 billion. more ›

Cal State University (CSU) students are preparing to protest as a vote this week to set next year's academic budget for the CSU system could result in an increase in tuition and enrollment fees. The Daily Sundial reports that faced with a difficult budget year and without a clear idea of what possible legislature help could look like for the CSU system, a proposed 5 percent increase is expected for spring 2011 and a 10 percent increase could go into effect for the 2011-2012 school year. more ›

A group of private investors will be purchasing several of state-owned buildings for $2.3 billion, the California Department of General Services announced Monday. California First LLC, a partnership between a Texas real estate firm and an Orange County private equity firm, will soon own 7.3 million square feet of office space across the Golden State, including two downtown Los Angeles buildings: the Ronald Reagan State Building and the Junipero Serra Building. more ›

After a successful marathon overnight session by the state's legislators to propose a state budget, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger finally gave his approval with his signature this evening, ending the longest California has every been without one (100 days!). In it, he approved of $87.5 billion and vetoed $962 million in 23 line items. more ›

This year's approved state budget looks very similar when it comes to state parks. What that means is the continuation of partial closures, reduced staff and hours and no end in sight for the $1.3 billion backlog in needed maintenance and repairs. more ›

On the 100th day of the fiscal year, the California legislature finally approved a budget after both houses suffered through overnight sessions lasting more than 20 hours. The Assembly approved the $87.5 billion spending plan before 6 a.m. and the Senate at 8:25 a.m. more ›

California is facing a $19 billion deficit and if tomorrow, 78 days after the budget should have been passed, comes without the state legislature passing a budget, records will be broken. Unlike last year, the drama hasn't played out in the public yet. Perhaps that's because the effects of having no budget really hasn't hit home yet. more ›

One ounce of marijuana today is $375. If Californians vote for Prop 19 or if the state legislature and Governor approve AB 2254, the price could drop to $38 per ounce, says the RAND Corporation in a study released today. Called Altered State? Assessing How Marijuana Legalization in California Could Influence Marijuana Consumption and Public Budgets, the report examines the likely increase in usage, how much tax revenue could be generated and other issues. more ›

Drama in Sacramento and workers around the state. With no budget enacted -- it was due today -- Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger this afternoon has ordered that wages for state workers, save for 37,000 union employees involved in tentative union agreements, be reduced to the federal minimum of $7.25 an hour. more ›

Surprise, surprise. Cash-strapped California is the only of the 22 major oil states that do not tax companies for taking the black gold out of the ground. Now with the BP oil spill in the Gulf and Prop 23 at the public forefront, Democrats this Summer have crafted two budget proposals that put an oil production tax in the picture. more ›

Get your creative juices and rhyming schemes together. Secretary of State Debra Bowen announced the proposition numbers assigned to the 10 measures that will appear on the November 2nd ballot. Of note is Prop 19, which will be followed closely across the country. We're curious what rhyming and/or creative slogans will come out with that one (bad example: "get green with nineteen"). Here's the full list of measures and brief descriptions, compliments of the Center for Governmental Studies here in Los Angeles: more ›

The Los Angeles Newspaper Group, owners of the Daily News and various other local papers, today is calling it like it is when talking about California's budget-saving early release prisoner program. Their editorial lede: "As evidence that the state simply has lost the ability to govern effectively, the early release program for prison inmates already is off track." Ooof. more ›

Billions taken healthcare and education, a 32 percent hike under consideration in the University system, the list could go on. The big question is, after this year, what more is there to cut? more ›

If you happen to be in Sacramento tomorrow and Saturday, do the state a favor and give them some money in exchange for some official government crap. Back in July, Governor Schwarzenegger announced that they would be selling government stuff--cars, computers, other crap--to help offset the billion dollar deficit. Then someone on Twitter suggested that he sign some of the items to raise the value and he went, paraphrased, "OMG, such a g00d idea! Keep the ideas coming, Twitter pals!" more ›

Finally, the budget has passed both houses--the Senate early this morning and the Assembly this afternoon--and Governor Arnold Scwharzenegger says he plans to sign it next week. However, the LA Times hints that Schwarzenegger may do some line item vetoing and a $1.1 billion deficit still remains to be solved. more ›

State Assemblyman Paul Krekorian will be soon be voting on the proposed budget solution, which severely impacts local governments including Los Angeles. If it passes, Los Angeles could lose millions and has leaders like Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa and Council President Eric Garcetti worried. Krekorian also happens to be one of the frontrunners in the race for Los Angeles Council District 2. That's quite a pickle of a situation and when pressed about it, his office declined to comment. Will he vote along Democratic party lines to approve the budget, which could hurt Los Angeles yet immediately help the state, or will he make a statement as someone who really wants to represent Los Angeles on the City Council? No matter what he does, it's not a black or white situation--it's not like the Democrats have many choices with Schwarzenegger, who basically is unwilling to compromise with many workable ideas. Still, politics are politics: if he votes for the budget, expect that to be a major issue his opponents will use against him in future debates. more ›

In a telephone press conference this morning with various mayors from across the state, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa fervently said that he and other cities "will not accept a flawed budget." It's been a consistent theme since Tuesday, the morning after a state budget solution was agreed upon by state leaders. The full legislature is expected to vote on the proposal as early as tonight. more ›

The LAPD, its union and Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa today will discuss the impact to the city if 27,000 people are released from state prisons. While saving the state budget, the cost to taxpayers will be more than $4 billion over three years according to their calculations based on " the number of inmates to be released and standard recidivism rates." That could mean an additional 245,000 new crimes and new crime victims in the same time period statewide. Shees, there goes L.A.'s dropping crime rate. "The people being considered for release are convicted felons," said Paul Weber, the Los Angeles Police Protective League's President. "A large number of them parole violators -- in other words, they are people who have already proven they cannot remain law abiding after being released from prison. That is why they were rearrested and put back into custody." more ›

In addition to the $70 million Los Angeles could lose via raided redevelopment funds, another $166 million could be lost if $120 million in property tax revenue and $66 million in gas tax revenue are taken to fix the state budget, which will be voted on later this week by state legislators. The County of Los Angeles also stands to lose major funding, which could have long term effects in the billions. The county says they would lose $313.4 million in redevelopment, $109 million in gas taxes, $53.3 million from CalWorks (welfare program), $22.1 million in substance abuse crime prevention, $21 million for mental health managed care and $5.7 million in AIDS/HIV treatment and prevention, according to the LA Times. more ›

In a late Sunday night Session, the state's Assembly passed a budget with $2 billion in tax and fee increases that included a $15 annual vehicle registration fee that would pay for state parks, among other taxes and fees like a $1.50 tax on cigarettes. The Democratic budget solution is headed to the state Senate for consideration this morning. more ›

Four of the seven state offices in Southern California will be closed some Fridays due to the furloughs. more ›

That's how bad the budget is. State Controller John Chiang today announced that he will have to delay $3-plus billion payments, including state income tax refunds, health, welfare, education and other programs. "With no signs of an economic recovery in sight, it is critical that the Governor and the Legislature enact a sound budget solution that provides much-needed cash by February 1," Chiang's website stated. "If not, the State will be $346 million in the red at the end of February, and $5.2 billion in the red in April." Payments will be doled out 30 days late, but if February 1st comes around and no budget is set, they could be delayed another 30 days. more ›