Brown: Calif. to impose another $1B in budget cuts

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http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/9993891

Associated Press= SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown said Tuesday that California needs to make about $1 billion in midyear cuts to schools and social services, as revenues fell about $2.2 billion below the rosy assumptions included in the budget he signed last summer.

The cuts Brown announced Tuesday are lower than previous estimates by the state's legislative analyst, which will allow the state to avoid deeper cuts to public schools that could have meant reducing the school year by up to seven days.

Still, the lower revenue will trigger automatic midyear reductions to public schools, universities and colleges, Medi-Cal, and in-home support for seniors and the disabled, to take effect Jan. 1.

Brown and fellow Democrats in the Legislature had hoped for a $4 billion increase in tax revenue through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The budget they passed last summer without Republican support was based on a combination of spending cuts, fee hikes and overly optimistic revenue projections.