California budget 101

Here we go again. Mike Zapler in the Daily News.

When it comes to the state budget, the only thing that seems to change is the number of billions by which it's out of balance. A year ago, an unthinkable $15billion.

A few months later, an insurmountable $40billion. And now, even after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislators passed a package of spending cuts and tax hikes that was believed to have tamed the deficit, the state faces a staggering $24billion shortfall through mid-next year.

Staples of the modern-day state - from welfare and health care for the poor to funding for our children's education - are on the chopping block. State Controller John Chiang has implored the Legislature to pass a budget soon to avoid a fiscal meltdown this summer. But legislators are expected to take at least a few weeks.