Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders vowed deep cuts to public services Wednesday in response to voters' rejection of ballot measures to ease the state's gaping budget hole.

The Republican governor vowed to "go all out" in slashing government spending after voters killed a slate of proposals that would have lessened, but not ended, the fiscal hemorrhaging.

"We tried not to make those kind of cuts, but now we have to," the Republican governor told reporters in Washington.

"There's no other choice," he said. "I think the message was clear from the people: Go all out and make those cuts and live within your means."

Legislative leaders sounded the same budget-cutting alarm, but battle lines clearly were forming – with the GOP demanding no new taxes and Democrats saying only that they would not start with such a tactic.

Republican leaders who opposed Tuesday's ballot measures to generate additional state revenues applauded the prospect of deep cuts but declined to identify targets.

Wednesday marked a flurry of Capitol activity after election results expanded the state's projected fiscal gap by $6 billion – from an estimated $15.4 billion to $21.3 billion.

A joint budget committee announced that it will begin a marathon series of meetings today.

Legislative leaders of both parties met behind closed doors with Schwarzenegger, then emerged an hour later vowing to hold fewer such meetings in favor of more public hearings.

Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg said they consider June 30 the deadline for resolving the budget mess, which threatens to leave the state unable to pay all its bills this summer.

Schwarzenegger promised to make severe reductions in education, health care and law enforcement.

"Every department, every agency, every board needs to essentially be on the table for consolidation, downsizing and, in some cases, elimination," said Assemblyman Sam Blakeslee of San Luis Obispo, who will become Assembly GOP leader June 1.

"Unfortunately, all the choices are bad now," said Senate Republican leader Dennis Hollingsworth of Murrieta.

Steinberg, D-Sacramento, said Republicans should quit talking abstractly and submit a specific list of cuts.

"We'll be asking them: Are you willing to put cuts forward to impact the Department of Corrections? Local governments? Public safety? Public education in your districts? … When it comes to the cut side, we will insist on working in full partnership with our counterparts," Steinberg said.

Sen. Jeff Denham, R-Merced, pointed to the University of California's administration as ripe for spending cuts.

"Does the UC president's office need 1,000 employees or can he do it with 500?" Denham asked. "Do we need to have presidents and chancellors that are making $400,000 plus per year?"

Bass, D-Los Angeles, said she anticipates cuts to education, health care, human services and prison spending.

Steinberg said the state's work force is likely to be affected.

"We're not shying away from (cuts)," he said. "But we also say that we're going to do everything we can to be responsible, to be creative and to protect people who need it most."

Schwarzenegger released a revised budget last week that called for up to $9 billion in cuts, layoffs of 5,000 state workers and $7.5 billion in borrowing from local governments and the investment market.

Neither Republican nor Democratic legislative leaders support the governor's plan, nor do they agree among themselves on a solution.

Blakeslee said voters sent a clear message in Tuesday's election that they do not support "messy compromises," such as the state budget signed in February that bridged a $40 billion budget gap with tax hikes, borrowing and program cuts.

Blakeslee said that his GOP caucus will "accept no tax increases."

"If we were to come back with another one of these sort of grand, messy compromises that the public doesn't see as responding to the reality of the crisis, I think they'd be rightfully outraged," he said.

Call Jim Sanders, Bee Capitol Bureau, (916) 326-5538. Susan Ferriss and Kevin Yamamura of The Bee Capitol Bureau contributed to this report.