CTNS SCRIPTS
CAPITOL TELEVISION NEWS SERVICE
SACRAMENTO, CA
(916) 446-7890
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 14TH , 2008
• TO REQUEST 16 BY 9 FILES OF THE CTNS NEWSFEED ONLINE PLEASE CONTACT ROB GRIFFITH. THE PRELIM, MIDDAY AND SCRIPTS ARE AVAILABLE ON THE WEB AT WWW.CTNSNEWS.COM .•
1. ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETS VO/SOT
2. PPIC ASSESSES HIGHER EDUCATION VO/SOT
3. SAVING SALMON VO/SOT
4. PREPARING FOR FLOODS VO/SOT
1. ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE MEETS VO/SOT
LIVE:
ONLY ABOUT HALF OF THE MEMBERS OF THE ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE ATTENDED A MEETING TODAY TO DISCUSS CALIFORNIA'S STATE BUDGET CRISIS, DESPITE THE LEGISLATURE'S OWN FISCAL ANALYST EARLIER THIS WEEK RECOMMENDING LAWMAKERS ACT QUICKLY TO CLOSE THE STATE'S GROWING BUDGET GAP. THE ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE MET TODAY FOR THE FIRST TIME AFTER LAWMAKERS CAME BACK TO SACRAMENTO MORE THAN A WEEK AGO WHEN GOVERNOR SCHWARZENEGGER CALLED FOR AN EMERGENCY LEGISLATIVE SESSION.
SUPER: TODAY/STATE CAPITOL
VO: (:25)
THERE HAS BEEN LITTLE APPARENT ACTION ON THE BUDGET THIS WEEK DESPITE AGREEMENT THE STATE GOVERNMENT'S FINANCES ARE IN DIRE STRAIGHTS. THE MST RECENT ESTIMATE FOR THE BUDGET DEFICIT IS MORE THAN 11 BILLION DOLLARS, WHICH ASSEMBLY BUDGET COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN JOHN LAIRD IS THE LARGEST PERCENTAGE DEFICIT IN STATE HISTORY. LAIRD CRITICIZED SCHWARZENEGGER EARLIER THIS WEEK IN A NEWSPAPER COLUMN FOR DOING NO MORE THAN HOLDING NEWS CONFERENCES. BUT TODAY, LAIRD ADMITTED THE GOVERNOR AND LEGISLATIVE LEADERS ARE MEETING PRIVATELY TO NEGOTIATE A BUDGET SOLUTION.
SUPER: ASSEMBLYMAN JOHN LAIRD/D-SANTA CRUZ
SOT: (:19)
SAYS: "THERE HAVE BEEN BIG-FIVE MEETINGS REGULARLY. AND THE REAL ISSUE IS THAT WE HAVE TO COME TO SOME AGREEMENT AND EVERYBODY'S GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE. AND THAT'S WHERE THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE TO GIVE, IS BY CAUCUS. AND I THINK THOSE MEETINGS THAT HAVE BEEN HAPPENING REGULARLY ARE REALLY DEVELOPING A SENSE OF WHETHER WE'LL HAVE A PLACE TO GO."
SUPER: ASSEMBLYMAN ROGER NIELLO/R-SACRAMENTO
SOT: (:11)
SAYS: "OH, HE'S PARTICIPATING IN THE BIG FIVE MEETINGS, YA. I HAVE NO DOUBT THAT THE GOVERNOR'S DOING EVERYTHING HE CAN TO SOLVE THE BUDGET PROBLEM, IN THE WAY THAT HE THINKS IS BEST.''
VO TAG:
THE BUDGET COMMITTEE TODAY TOOK NO ACTION ON THE BUDGET, MEETING ONLY TO DISCUSS PROPOSALS FROM THE GOVERNOR AND THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST ON HOW TO CLOSE THE BUDGET GAP.
THE EMERGENCY SESSION OF THE LEGISLATURE HAS ONLY UNTIL THE END OF THE MONTH BEFORE THE NEXT LEGISLATIVE SESSION IS SWORN IN, BUT LAWMAKERS PROBABLY WON'T MEET DURING THE FINAL WEEK OF NOVEMBER, AS STATE CAPITOL STAFF PREPARE FOR NEW LAWMAKERS.
EXTRA BITE:
regarding the Legislature having a sense of urgency:
SUPER: ASSEMBLYMAN JOHN LAIRD/D-SANTA CRUZ
SOT: (:23)
SAYS: "WELL, THAT'S EXACTLY WHY WE'RE HAVING A HEARING TODAY IS TO TRY TO AIR OUT EXACTLY WHAT THE GOVERNOR HAS PROPOSED AND HOW THE LEGISLATIVE ANALYST HAS SPOKEN ON IT, IN A WAY THAT PEOPLE UNDERSTAND THE URGENCY OF THIS SITUATION. IT HAS BASICALLY DEVELOPED SINCE WE ADOPTED THE BUDGET IN MID-SEPTEMBER AND THAT HAS TO BE THE LARGEST SINGLE CHANGE TO A BUDGET IN THE MIDDLE OF A YEAR, PROBABLY IN THE HISTORY OF CALIFORNIA."
