Today is the day.
Do lawmakers and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger reach a meeting of the minds on the state budget, or do they issue an invitation to Controller John Chiang to issue IOUs for the first time in 17 years?
Both houses likely will be in session all day and into the evening, but look for the real action at the negotiating table in the Governor's Office.
A key issue is $3.3 billion in budget savings that have to be approved by midnight -- in the current fiscal year -- or will be lost forever. Democrats are pushing the cuts to schools and redevelopment agencies to be approved by midnight, but the GOP and the governor want a full package before signing off.
The 1992 version of this melodrama ended badly, with drunken shouting, a fistfight, and a mysteriously stopped clock in the Assembly. Ultimately, the production ran all summer, with IOUs, court fights and rock-bottom performance ratings for politicians of all stripes.
Most other events of the day go hand in hand with the budget, including a meeting of the Citizen's Compensation Commission at 10 a.m. to discuss reductions in elected official's benefits.
At 11 a.m., health care providers and patients gather on the west steps to protest cuts and elimination of Medi-Cal benefits.
At 5:00 p.m., the SEIU will be donning its familiar purple in the heat of the late afternoon to rally against budget cuts at the Capitol.
Aside from the budget mess, the state will hear testimony on regulations to lethal injections. The meeting takes place at 9 a.m. in the Department of Health Services Auditorium.
Fundraising continues as usual.
Rick Keene and Bob Huff hold separate events in downtown Sacramento. Assemblyman Felipe Fuentes
Chances are slim that even the luckiest attendee will pocket enough winnings to make a real impact in the state's fiscal woes.
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