Partial Budget Package Heads to Governor; Cuts to Health Care Delayed
On Monday, the California Legislature sent Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) a budget package that aims to reduce the state's deficit by about $2.3 billion, the Sacramento Bee reports.
Lawmakers took the step toward closing the state's $19.9 billion deficit on the last day of a 45-day emergency legislative session (Yamamura, Sacramento Bee, 2/23).
The budget package would reduce spending on the state's prison system by about $1 billion, primarily by cutting funds for inmate medical care (Theriault, San Jose Mercury News, 2/22).
Lawmakers chose to delay action on proposed cuts to health care and social services until later in the year (Lin, AP/San Francisco Chronicle, 2/22).
Broadcast Coverage
Headlines and links for broadcast coverage of the latest budget package are provided below.
- "Lawmakers Begin Trimming Budget Deficit" (Russ, "KXJZ News," Capital Public Radio, 2/22).
- "California Lawmakers Try To Tackle $6 Billion Deficit" (Small, "KPCC News," KPCC, 2/22).