While many lawmakers and Capitol staffers take extra time off around the holidays, it’s a different story at the Department of Finance. They’re facing a tight budget deadline – and it’s one of the busiest seasons for them. Marianne Russ reports.
Governor Schwarzenegger will unveil his budget proposal January 10th. And while HD Palmer with the Department of Finance says the big spending decisions have all been made – there’s a lot of paper-work to be done:
Palmer: It’s a lot of writing, it’s a lot of proof-reading, it’s a lot of cross-checking, it’s a lot of triple-checking numbers.
Palmer says they’re preparing the documents explaining the Governor’s budget decisions. And they have pretty rigid deadlines:
Palmer: It’s a very detailed and time sensitive schedule and it’s always something that puts a little bit of gray in your hair, but we always make it and we’ll make it again this year.
The state is facing a $14 billion budget deficit, and Governor Schwarzenegger has said he’ll call a fiscal emergency next month. That will trigger a special session of the state legislature.
