Schwarzenegger to Sign Bills Closing Deficit Next Week

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger said he supports the plan the Legislature approved today to erase a $26 billion deficit that pushed the most-populous U.S. state to the brink of insolvency.

The Senate and Assembly passed the package of more than two-dozen bills though a marathon 18-hour session. Schwarzenegger told reporters afterwards that he will sign the budget reduction plan within days after using his line-item veto authority to trim spending and bolster state reserves.

Passage of the plan promised to end a two-month partisan battle over how to eliminate holes that emerged in the $100 billion budget just months after spending cuts and tax increases were enacted in February. Voter refusal in May to authorize borrowing against the state lottery added $5 billion to the gap. Without a balanced budget, California paid bills with IOUs to avoid running out of cash, and the ratings on $72 billion of bonds were cut close to high-yield, high-risk junk status.

“This is not an easy budget but it’s a necessary budget,” Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said. “California has experienced an unprecedented drop in revenue, and we must learn to live within our means.”

The package cuts spending by $15 billion, including $6 billion from schools and community colleges, $3 billion from universities and $1.2 billion from prisons. It also raises $4 billion, in part by accelerating personal and corporate income- tax withholding and increasing the amount withheld by 10 percent.

University of California Workers to Take Furloughs

SAN FRANCISCO — A key committee of the University of California on Wednesday approved an emergency budget plan that would force most of the system’s 180,000 employees to take pay cuts and unpaid leave to offset a steep drop in state funding.

The finance committee of the UC Board of Regents voted for the proposal aimed at closing an $813 million budget shortfall caused by a 20 percent reduction in state support to the 10-campus system.

The full board was expected to approve the move Thursday.

“We have a plan which is fair, but no one is happy about it,” UC President Mark Yudof told the regents. “No one likes a pay cut, but no one likes being laid off either, so we have to make some tough choices.”

Read the entire story at SacBee.com

Pizza Pizza!

The latest addition to North Natomas dining is none other than Little Caesars.  The home of $5 pizza’s and yummy Crazy Bread! While there ad does not drop until tomorrow,  there was no shortage of customers.  Myself, Mrs. Republicrat, and one of our little Republicrats stopped by, we were in and out in under 5 minutes.

Welcome to North Natomas…

Sacramento County Sheriff to Keep 70 Officers

Nearly 70 Sacramento County Sheriff’s deputies will remain on duty after concessions were made in an overwhelming vote.

Ninety percent of members of the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association voted to approve the contract addendum, which will save the county $24 million.

“The men and women who make up the Sacramento County Deputy Sheriffs’ Association realized the importance of being part of a solution to the current economic downturn and their role in trying to avert an even more ominous public safety crisis,” association president Kevin Mickelson said in a statement.

Earlier, the Sacramento County Sheriff’s Department said could lose 370 of its employees, including 300 deputies, because of severe county budget cuts.

Spokesman Sgt. Tim Curran called the move a worst-case scenario, depending on how the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors allocates money in its budget.

SOURCE: MSNBC

Kimberly Block: ADA Crusader or Lawsuit Happy?

Apparently the recent story of Kimberly Block filing a lawsuit against local eatery The Squueze Inn, has brought attention to a few other lawsuits Block has pending.

Here is what the SacBee writes about Block’s other lawsuits:

Another suit filed by Block alleges that her civil rights are being violated by Lil Joe’s, a diner that has been a fixture at 1710 Del Paso Blvd. for decades.

Among other allegations, the suit claims Lil Joe’s counter area for order pickup is too high and restrooms are not accessible and don’t have grab bars.

The restaurant was owned for many years by Joe Halaway, a Syrian immigrant who came to the United States after World War II. He moved to Sacramento from Chicago in the 1940s and took over a restaurant on Del Paso Boulevard, renaming it Lil Joe’s after himself and moving the restaurant to the present location in 1952.

Joe Halaway was known for serving inexpensive steaks and having a soft heart, regularly feeding people down on their luck. A waitress once complained: “His heart is bigger than he is. We kick out the bums, and he brings them back.”

When Joe Halaway opened the restaurant, steaks cost 99 cents. They now cost $7.99.

Halaway’s son, George, took over for his late father. He has filed a response to the lawsuit filed by Block and Singleton, the Eureka-based attorney. In the meantime, Halaway is trying to fix up his place to meet ADA standards.

“I’m going to have to move one wall out four feet,” Halaway said. “The economy is so bad, and then you get something like this.”

Block has also filed suit against two markets for alleged violations of the ADA: The Quick Shop Market, 2839 Franklin Blvd.; and Market Basket, 3845 Marysville Blvd.

So, is Block really an advocate for the ADA, or is she simply in it for the money?