The governor's furlough plan heads to court today.
A lawsuit filed by the Professional Engineers in California Government and the California Association of Professional Scientists seeks to block Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's executive order, arguing he needs legislative approval to force furloughs.
Under Schwarzenegger's order, state workers would be forced to take twice-monthly unpaid furloughs beginning Feb. 1.
At first, it appeared the suit would be delayed as the Schwarzenegger administration argued that Judge Lloyd Connelly could not give the case a fair hearing. Yes, that's the same Lloyd Connelly who served as a Democratic member of the Assembly from the early 1980s to the 1990s.
Anyway, the administration won that argument, and the case will be heard by Judge Patrick Marlette today.
Schwarzenegger will also be submitting his full budget to the Legislature today, though the outline of the plan has already been made public.
And Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, Assembly Speaker Karen Bass and other Democratic legislators hold a press conference this morning to announce legislative proposals they say will help draw federal dollars to aid unemployed Californians.
State Controller John Chiang released December's cash-flow figures late Thursday and said they were "in line" with expectations. The bad news: Expectations were for a "severe downward spiral."
"Without budget solutions from the governor and Legislature," Chiang warned, "the state could be reduced to extreme measures that prolong the current recession, devastate local governments, and place an even greater burden on California taxpayers."
Is that all?
And the economy may be deep in recession, the state budget bleeding red, but fundraising invitations continue to hit lobbyist inboxes.
This week, invitations to the Speaker's Cup, the annual Democratic confab at Pebble Peach, arrived.
Assembly Speaker Karen Bass is the fundraiser-in-chief for the event, where proceeds pad the Democratic Party coffers.
It's a pricey affair, with the cheapest (we use the word loosely) package listed at $20,000. That "bronze" package includes one round of golf, one night in the hotel and dinner for two on Saturday. And some commemorative trinkets.
The "ultimate" package runs a donor $60,000, which includes golf for four on Friday and Saturday, four hotel rooms for the two nights, dinner for eight on Friday and Saturday and a spa treatment per day for every non-golfer in the group.
But don't accuse the Democrats of turning a complete blind eye to current economic woes.
Speaker's Cup packages are on sale -- at least compared to last year, when "ultimate" packages ran for $70,000.
That's a 15 percent savings -- with all the same guaranteed access.
Photo: Tiger Woods hits a shot from the 9th fairway with a view of Ocean Beach ahead Thursday June 15, 2000, at Pebble Beach Golf Links during the first day of the U.S Open. Woods finished with a 6-under-par 66. Credit: The Sacramento Bee / Randy Pench
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