"California's budget deficit this year has ballooned to nearly
$15 billion, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday,
warning that the state faces "financial Armageddon" unless lawmakers take decisive action," reports Matthew Yi in the Chron.
"The projection of a $14.8 billion gap at the end of the fiscal year in June
surfaced just a month after the governor announced
an $11.2 billion shortfall, and the deteriorating economy is
likely to make the problem even worse next year, Schwarzenegger
said.
"Without action this year, the state could be staring
at a deficit as great as $40 billion by June 2010, an administration official said. Schwarzenegger is
expected to share the bad news with legislative leaders
in a budget negotiating meeting today.
"'If we don't put aside our ideological differences and negotiate
to solve this problem, we'll be heading toward our financial Armageddon,' Schwarzenegger said at a hastily called news conference
at the state Capitol.
"Schwarzenegger said he's frustrated by the Legislature's inability to find a compromise solution, and he singled
out the Republicans for being "very vague and never specific" about what they want in negotiating the budget."
Capitol Weekly adds, "The war of words between Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Republican legislative leaders escalated again
Wednesday, as the frustrated governor once again called
for immediate action to address the state’s budget crisis.
"Schwarzenegger lashed out at lawmakers for their inaction,
while legislators said the governor was disengaged
and posturing for the cameras.The governor voiced his
frustration at the Legislature’s failure to
act. 'If that’s not a shameful performance, I don’t know what is,'
Schwarzenegger said, speaking of the Legislature’s inability to reach
an agreement. “The Legislature is acting as if we have $30 billion in
surplus
"Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill, R-Fresno, said the governor’s
Wednesday press conference amounted to more political
posturing from the governor. 'Bullying the legislature to adopt tax
hikes won’t make the ticking clock the Governor unveiled today
go away, in fact it will only make our budget problems
worse,' said Cogdill. 'Raising taxes doesn’t solve the underlying
problem of California’s budget, which is the state spends more than it
takes
in.'
"The governor, in his comments, said the Legislature
was simply “playing chicken” with the budget. He also said he was frustrated that
Republicans had showed up to Big 5 negotiations unprepared, sparking the ire of Assembly
Republican Leader Mike Villines, R-Clovis."
But hey, at least we got a new budget prop out of the
deal! The governor will now have his deficit clock
posted outside his Capitol office, climbing at a rate
of $470 per second.
The Bee's Jim Sanders writes:
"Assembly Majority Leader Alberto Torrico announced
separately Wednesday that he will push for an around-the-clock lockdown of the Assembly during Christmas week."
Well, we can't think of better halls to be decking...
"Schwarzenegger specifically criticized comments made
to to The Bee by Assembly Republican leader Mike Villines, who said that his members will not consider revenue
increases until a deal is struck on a strict spending
cap, permanent cuts, and an economic stimulus package
of regulatory and labor law changes.
"'You can't go with a list like this and say, 'If you commit to those things and if you're willing to make those changes, then we are willing
to talk about revenue increases,' ' Schwarzenegger said.
"'That is not the way you negotiate,' he added. 'You have to say, 'This is what it takes – and then I'm ready to increase the revenues, and I will get my
people upstairs to vote for a revenue increase.' '
"Republicans have not always been well-prepared with specific proposals for closed-door talks, Schwarzenegger said.
"Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg also criticized Villines' strategy of forcing concessions on wide-ranging demands before addressing the need for new
revenue.
"'It's time to get serious,' Steinberg said. 'The time for games is over.'"
"A day-long work stoppage for which people were encouraged
to "call in gay" to express support for same-sex marriage drew spotty participation Wednesday, with some gay right activists praising the event
and others questioning its value," reports the AP's Lisa Leff.
"People who opted to take the day off from their jobs
as part of the national "Day Without a Gay" were encouraged to perform community service, and
charitable organizations across the country said they
had volunteers showing up.
"'Visibility is really important for the gay community,
so after a lot of thought I decided I would come out
and be visible with my colleagues at work and use the
time working for the community,' said Carrie Lewis, 36, a University of California health researcher who
spent the day working at the Sacramento Gay and Lesbian
Center.
"The protest, which a gay couple from West Hollywood
organized through the Internet, was designed to demonstrate
the economic clout of same-sex marriage supporters following the passage of voter-approved gay marriage bans in California, Arizona and
Florida last month."
"Today and Friday are expected to be monumental in California's fight against global warming and air pollution," reports Chris Bowman in the Bee.
"The state Air Resources Board is set to vote today
on a sweeping 12-year strategy for slashing climate-altering emissions that would affect the type of cars
Californians drive, the electricity they use to light
their homes and even the location of future homes and
jobs.
"Then on Friday, the governor-appointed air board is expected to approve regulations
requiring owners of nearly 1 million heavy-duty trucks to thoroughly clean up diesel exhaust,
which is believed responsible for as many as 9,000 deaths a year statewide.
"'It is probably the most significant board meeting we
have had in decades,' said Thomas Cackette, the board's deputy executive officer."
Capitol Weekly's John Howard says the governor has been immune to the pleas from the
industry. "As the Air Resources Board prepares to decide back-to-back rules governing diesel soot and greenhouse gases,
the air of the Capitol is filled with another kind
of pollution – words and spin.
"Looming in the background is the state’s deteriorating economy, which could play into the
ARB’s votes. Despite that, the governor urged the ARB to
proceed aggressively.
“I recommend very strongly that we move forward. It
doesn’t make any sense that we‘re looking at our health and destroying our environment
just because it’s not the right time. I think there are certain things
we have to move forward with,” Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said Wednesday.
“You will always have people,” he added, “saying this will lose jobs."
Howard also reports on the election of a new chair of the coastal commission. "The California Coastal Commission selected Bonnie Neely
of Eureka as the new chairperson this week, culminating
a behind-the-scenes struggle in which rival commissioner William
Burke mounted an aggressive campaign for the top job.
"Neely, who had served as vice chair, replaces the departing
chairman, Patrick Kruer. The action was announced at
the commission’s meeting in San Francisco.
"Burke, who has tried before and failed to become chairman,
has been waging an aggressive campaign for the job.
Burke, the former owner of the Los Angeles Marathon,
currently is chairman of another major regulatory panel,
the Southern California Air Quality Management District."
Meanwhile, it looks like ARB chief Mary Nichols will not be heading to Washington. "Mary Nichols, the chairwoman of the California Air
Resources Board, will not head the federal Environmental
Protection Agency. The job will go instead to Lisa
Jackson, who once headed up New Jersey's top environmental agency.
"But several other Californians were tapped by President-elect Barack Obama's energy team. Among them is Californian Steven Chu,
a Nobel Prize winner who will serve as
as secretary of energy. Los Angeles Deputy Mayor Nancy
Sutley will lead
Obama's Council on Environmental Quality."
And finally, from our Finger Lickin' Good Files, "Three employees of a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Anderson, Calif. have been suspended for bathing in a deep sink used to clean dishes. The prank was discovered after one of the young women posted photos on a social networking site of the trio posing and cavorting in the steaming water
in their underwear and swim wear.
"The photos were filed in a gallery called "KFC moments." Captions included "haha KFC showers!" and "haha we turned on the jets."
"A
manager of the fast-food restaurant said the three were reprimanded and
suspended Tuesday. She said no manager was on duty
when the photos were
taken as the three had closed the restaurant for the
night."
