Senate Democrats are expected to release a stopgap budget solution for tackling part of the state's projected $19.9 billion deficit.
Bee colleague Kevin Yamamura reports that the plan includes pushing back major cuts to social services and education and giving local governments the ability to raise gas prices for transit.
Members of the Senate Budget and Fiscal Review Committee are expected to begin voting on the proposal at today's 10:30 a.m. hearing.
Another hot-button hearing: The Assembly Accountability and Administrative Review Committee meets at 9 a.m. to discuss the findings of a review that found state agencies spent nearly $30 million on new furniture, nearly $45 million on new cars and more than $2 million on conferences last year.
Those expenditures came as the governor issued an executive order calling on agencies to scale back on spending and only purchase new vehicles in emergency cases. The committee's overview of the expenditures is available here and a hearing agenda, including which agency officials expected to testify, can be viewed here.
Click here for the committee's background sheet on state expenditures.
JOBS, JOBS, JOBS: Senate Democrats unveiled their 27-bill job-creation package yesterday. Republican legislators are rallying on the west steps of the Capitol at 1:30 p.m. to discuss their California Jobs First plan for boosting small businesses.
PANEL: State Inspector General Laura Chick and California Women Lead host the first in a series of panels scheduled to discuss the role of women in politics. Secretary of State Debra Bowen, Democratic consultant Gale Kaufman,CCTA President Carolyn McIntyre, Department of Finance Director Ana Matosantos, Bee associate editor Ginger Rutland and Assemblywoman Mariko Yamada are scheduled to sit on the first "Women's Dialogue" discussion tonight at 6 p.m. in the Secretary of State auditorium.
GOV2010: GOP guv-hopeful Meg Whitman swings by the Sheraton Grand for a 5 p.m. "campaign briefing" here in Sacramento today. Want all the latest news and information on the gubernatorial race? Visit The Bee's Gov2010 page for candidate bios, exclusive content, searchable databases of campaign contributions and more.
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