Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger called for a special session of the legislature to deal with the state’s $3.3 billion budget gap. The governor presented a $141 billion budget on Jan. 10 that calls for a 10 percent cut in nearly all general fund departments and programs, boards, commissions and elected offices. Those cuts would reduce health care programs for the poor, close 48 state parks, and release tens of thousands of nonviolent inmates early, the Los Angeles Times reported. In the special session, lawmakers would consider a budget stabilization act that keeps spending under control, builds savings in prosperous times and bridges the revenue gap in lean times, the governor’s office said.
