State budget deja vu: An impasse

State lawmakers passed an $18 billion package of budget cuts and fee increases Thursday but Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger immediately vowed to veto it, even as Republicans prepared a lawsuit claiming the vote was unconstitutional. Daily News.

While the extended budget drama continued to play out in Sacramento, local officials in Los Angeles braced for a worst-case scenario that could result in the loss of billions of dollars for schools, welfare, health, gang prevention and transportation.

They know that whatever package state officials eventually approve to tackle the state's massive budget deficit, it will bring more pain to local programs that have already taken a series of almost monthly hits as the economy continues to spiral downward.