Results tagged “California Legislature” from Press Corps

You can keep watching the budget talks in Sacramento online on the California Channel today as the Legislature tries to eliminate that pesky $24 billion budget deficit. The clock is ticking as Tuesday's deadline approaches. If no budget deal is reached, the state will start issuing IOUs to its workers on Wednesday.

The Los Angeles Times has a great interactive budget balancing "game" on its Web site. You decide what programs to cut, where to raise taxes and fees, and try to eliminate California's $24 billion budget deficit.

Let me tell you, it's not easy.

Who wants to cut funding for schools or healthcare for children? Yet the idea of raising taxes, even on the rich, doesn't seem very appealing, especially in this economy. Remember that one of the big issues is a plan to take revenues from local governments, which has the League of California Cities and city officials across the state, including those in Long Beach, up in arms.

However the budget is fixed, in the end someone isn't going to be happy. There's just no avoiding it. I have to say that I don't envy our legislators in Sacramento. So, try the budget activity for yourself here and see if you can keep California from a fiscal meltdown.