Happy Valentine's Day.
Yes, it's Saturday, and yes, you're getting an AM Alert. That's because the Legislature is set to vote today on a huge package -- a 17-month budget fix that includes $15.8 billion in cuts, $14.3 billion in tax increases, and $10.9 billion in borrowing.
Both houses of the Legislature have floor sessions set for 5 p.m.
What happens next is still in the air.
Due to the two-thirds vote requirement in the Legislature, three GOP votes will be needed in both the Assembly and the Senate if every Democrat supports the budget package.
"I expect all the Democrats to vote for the budget. Absolutely. No exception," Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg declared earlier this week.
That means you, Lou Correa.
Conventional wisdom around the Capitol is that the bigger battle will be in the Senate, where Capitol Alert outlined the GOP landscape on Friday.
One other thing to watch during session is who goes up first.
As in, if Correa does support the budget, will he vote before his GOP colleagues? Likewise, would any Senate Republican cast an "aye" before Correa? And would Assembly Republicans cast votes for taxes before Senate passage is assured?
All good questions; no clear answers.
What is clear is that Senate Republicans are divided.
On Friday morning, the Senate Republican Caucus sent out a press release with a collection of quotes from editorials, a business leader -- and even one union head -- essentially characterizing the deal as a necessary evil.
Sabrina Demayo Lockhart, a spokeswoman for Senate Republican leader Dave Cogdill, said the release "should have gone out under the leader's e-mail, not the caucus e-mail."
Hours later, a second release came, titled, "More Budget Comments."
It contained quotes from GOP senators blasting both taxes and the current budget deal.
"We just wanted to clarify what other members of the caucus had stated publicly," Lockhart said.
NOTE: In Wednesday's AM Alert, we reported that 12 lawmakers had fundraisers scheduled. Well, the number should have been only 11. Assemblyman Jerry Hill had canceled his until after a budget solution is reached.
Photo: Senate President Pro Tem Darrrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, rubs his eyes during a call to a lawmaker concerning the state budget at his Capitol office in Sacramento, Friday, Feb. 13, 2009. Credit: AP Photo/ Rich Pedroncelli
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