7 months ago
SACRAMENTO, CA - Gov. Schwarzenegger Wednesday declared a fiscal state of emergency and ordered a third furlough day a month for state workers. Furlough Order
The furlough directive also means most state offices will be closed the first three Fridays of the month.
The governor instituted the moves due to what he says is lawmakers' inability to reach a deal on budget revisions to close a projected $24.3 billion hole. Wednesday is the first day of fiscal year 2009-10 and the state constitution mandates California have a balanced budget.
Schwarzenegger also called for a special legislative session to deal with the state's dire situation. The Legislature will have 45 days to send him a plan to balance the budget, which is expected to grow by $7 billion because lawmakers couldn't pass several stopgap measures Tuesday.
If lawmakers fail to act within the 45 days, they cannot adjourn or act on other bills until they solve the crisis.
The state office closures begin July 10, 2009 and were ordered through June 2010.
The California Highway Patrol, CalFire fire stations, prisons and state hospitals will maintain normal hours of operation.
IOUs to state vendors and others are expected to go out Thursday. State Controller John Chiang has warned the state could run out of money by the end of July.
In issuing the orders, Schwarzenegger said, "Though the legislature failed to solve our budget problem yesterday, rest assured that solving the entire deficit remains my first and only priority, and I will not rest until we get it done. I will not be a part of pushing this crisis down the road - the road stops here."
The governor also promised he would not sign any legislation until an entire budget solution is on his desk.
One union, Professional Engineers in California Government, has already announced it would seek an injunction to block the governor's furlough order.
News10/KXTV and The Associated Press
