Governor Brown’s budget proposal is expected Monday. But the new governor isn’t just facing a bigger budget gap than in previous years, he also has fewer options when it comes to closing that gap.
Jason Sisney with the Legislative Analyst’s Office said in the past, California has relied on one time accounting solutions, like moving the pay day for state workers from the end of the month to the beginning of the next or shifting funds between programs.
“Those tools which have been important to curing the budget gaps of the last few years often times are no longer available or in some cases may be very legally difficult to replicate again,” Sisney said.
Sisney said the state also can’t rely as much on Federal support. For the last two years, California’s received about $5 billion in Federal Funds, mostly from the Stimulus Bill. But that money has run out, and Sisney said the federal budget is in even worse shape than state budgets.
