The foundation, in a press release, said it was giving them the award "in recognition of the political courage each demonstrated in standing up to the extraordinary constituent and party pressure they faced while working with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger to address California's severe financial crisis."

The four leaders met mostly behind closed doors with Schwarzenegger for weeks last January and February to hammer out a solution to close a $40 billion budget deficit that relied on both heavy cuts to social services and schools, as well as temporary tax hikes. Cogdill lost his leadership post on the final night of the legislative vote, while Villines stepped down weeks later.

Bass and Steinberg did not suffer similar fates, although unions and social service advocates were displeased with their budget package.

That February 2009 budget deal proved to be insufficient, however. A further decline in tax revenues and voter rejection of some of their solutions forced lawmakers and the governor to solve for another $24 billion budget gap last summer.

"All too often cynics in our state, and pundits across the nation take their shots at California and our challenges, but the fact is that when faced with the worst economic crisis since the Great Depression, lawmakers from both sides of California's political spectrum did what was necessary to resolve the largest budget deficit in California history," Steinberg said in a statement.

Villines praised Kennedy in a statement of his own: "President Kennedy inspired generations to give of themselves and to follow their conscience and I am humbled to have been chosen as a recipient for this prestigious award. It is an incredible privilege to have been honored alongside people whose principled leadership as public servants has changed the world. It is essential that as public officials we come together to solve the problems facing our country and never allow what is politically advantageous to get in the way of following our conscience and making the tough choices we were elected to make."

Caroline Kennedy, Kennedy's daughter and a cousin of California first lady Maria Shriver, is among various members of the award selection committee.