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Conceding defeat on his tax extension proposal, California Governor Jerry Brown unveiled a budget Monday that imposes deep spending cuts.

The plan, cobbled together with Democratic legislative leaders, calls for a total of $14.6 billion in cuts. Much of the bloodletting was agreed to in March, but this week's deal would add at least $2.5 billion in additional reductions.

Overall the Department of Health and Human Services would be slashed by $5 billion, while the Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation would see a cut of $1 billion. The state's two university systems would each lose $650 million in funding.

If tax revenue comes in lower than expected, the budget also would impose an additional $2.6 billion in cuts to higher education, corrections and in-home support services for the elderly and disabled.

The proposal would slash billions in spending for children, the sick, and the elderly, said Senate President pro Tem Darrell Steinberg. And it would hurt the state's economy, he said.

"This budget is the most austere fiscal blueprint California has seen in a generation," Steinberg said.

Since the budget does not call for tax increases, it requires only a majority of the Democratic-led legislature to approve it. However, Governor Brown and his fellow Democrats said they plan to put a tax measure on the ballot in November 2012 through a voter initiative -- bypassing the requirement for Republican consent.

Though they fended off Brown's tax extensions, Republicans immediately attacked the proposal, saying California needs a budget that will revitalize the economy and create jobs.

The proposal is a major shift for Brown, who has said for months that the state's $26 billion budget's gap should be addressed with a mix of spending cuts and tax extensions. He also was determined to fulfill his pledge to put the extension of personal income and sales taxes before the voters.

However, he could not convince four Republicans to join him so he could get the measure on the ballot. A budget containing a tax hike needs the support of two-thirds of lawmakers.

Republicans have refused to go along unless the budget also contained a spending cap, as well as pension and regulatory reform.

The latest proposal was put together less than two weeks after Brown vetoed a budget approved by the legislature, saying it was chock full of gimmicks and contained legally questionable maneuvers.

Lawmakers had raced to pass a spending plan by June 15 to meet a voter-imposed deadline that required the legislature to pass a balanced budget or forfeit their pay.

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The $1.4-billion in budget cuts proposed this week for California's public colleges could prompt a new year of protests that decry higher tuition, stagnant employee salaries, and the growing inability of Californians to afford college.

But as a barrier to student access, rising tuition may ultimately pale in comparison with a more fundamental shift: The state's colleges have started to shrink.

California's public-college enrollment declined by 165,000 during the past academic year, even as the number of people trying to get into college grew. Community colleges accounted for most of the decline, the largest in a single year since 1993.

The combination of a growing college-age population and a reduced budget has turned what was once a model for college access into a much scarcer commodity. California State University at Long Beach, which has lost more students than most colleges, enrolled only 9 percent of applicants last fall.

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Six domestic violence shelters in California have been forced to close while dozens more are scaling back services after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger eliminated all state funding for the program that supports them.

Shelters in the Central Valley town of Madera, the Sierra foothill town of Grass Valley and in Ventura County in Southern California have closed. Others in the San Francisco Bay area, Los Angeles and Bakersfield are on the verge of closing.

Many centers are laying off staff and closing satellite offices that serve remote areas of the state as they cope with the budget cuts. A national domestic violence group describes California's as the deepest cuts to such programs nationwide, even as other states have reduced funding.

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Gang violence is the topic of debate, and the worry, in Sacramento on Friday. The ongoing budget crisis means that law enforcement is making cuts that many are afraid will translate directly into crime on the streets.

Crime victim groups worry the budget cuts are just the beginning of more gang-involved incidents.

"We should be outraged that our safety is going to be jeopardized because the state needs to save a buck," said Christine Ward with Crime Victims Action Alliance.

Democrats say they want to keep the temporary tax hikes going to avoid more cuts to public safety, while Republicans say they want cuts to come from somewhere else to keep public safety funded.

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The California budget included $12.5 billion in spending cuts, with a 10 percent cut in take-home pay for some state employees and deep reductions in social services.

In terms of sheer dollars, the steepest cuts affect the most vulnerable in the state, including a $1.7 billion cut to Medi-Cal, the state’s health insurance program for poor families and disabled people; a $1.5 billion reduction in its welfare-to-work program; and $750 million cut from the agency that provides services to those with developmental disabilities.

The cost of health care was the focus of several hundred protesters who gathered on the Capitol steps after Mr. Brown’s announcement, demanding that the state adopt a single-payer health system. Inside, a group of advocates in wheelchairs also criticized a steep reduction in financing for in-home care.

“Some people are going to lose their lives on this,” said Greg Thompson, executive director of the Personal Assistance Services Council of Los Angeles County, which has some 185,000 people receiving in-home care. Mr. Thompson uses a wheelchair because of a spinal cord injury.

Under Mr. Brown’s plan, a raft of state functions — like fire and emergency response, court security, and housing for low-level criminals and oversight of adult parolees, among others — would become local or county responsibilities. The proposal was met with guarded support by county officials.

“Realignment can only succeed if there are stable revenues to fund the new responsibilities being handed to counties,” said John Tavaglione, the president of the California State Association of Counties.

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DIVISION OF APPRENTICESHIP STANDARDS

The objectives of this program are to promote, develop, and expand on-the-job training and apprenticeship programs and to provide consultation services to program sponsors.

PAROLE OPERATIONS - ADULT COMMUNITY BASED PROGRAMS

Parole Operations - Adult Community Based Programs utilizes a variety of rehabilitation and assistance programs designed to promote successful reintegration of parolees, while protecting public safety. These programs include, but are not limited to, Drug Treatment, Transitional Housing for Parolees, Parolee Services Centers, and Police and Corrections Teams. The Program also includes a full continuum of transitional programs, including evidence-based substance abuse treatment, preparation for inmates released on parole, and community-based continuing care upon parole. Parolees who did not receive in-prison treatment are also eligible for community-based residential and outpatient treatment.

Arts Council

The California Arts Council consists of eleven members, nine appointed by the Governor and one appointed by the President pro Tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the Assembly. The Council establishes general policy and approves program allocations


ADULT EDUCATION, VOCATION, AND OFFENDER PROGRAMS - ADULT INMATE ACTIVITES

The Adult Education, Vocation, and Offender Programs - Adult Inmate Activities provides inmates with activities and programs such as the canteen, photo project and handicraft. These programs allow inmates to productively participate in activities while incarcerated. For inmates, these programs create a sense of accomplishment and provide inmates an opportunity for employment while incarcerated.

Commission on the Status of Women

The Commission on the Status of Women is an independent, non-partisan agency working to advance the causes of women. Toward that end, the Commission influences public policy by advising the Governor and the Legislature on issues impacting women and educating and informing its constituencies-thereby providing opportunities that empower women and girls to make their maximum contribution to society
BOARD OF PAROLE HEARINGS - ADMINISTRATION

The Board of Parole Hearings - Administration handles administrative duties in support of the Board's headquarters and field operations. The Administration is comprised of the Executive team; the Administrative Services Division, which handles the business services functions for the Board; and the Workforce Development Unit tasked with ensuring compliance with the numerous court mandates affecting parole and hearing processes.

BOARD OF BARBERING AND COSMETOLOGY

The Board of Barbering and Cosmetology licenses barbers, cosmetologists, electrologists, estheticians, and manicurists after determining, through an examination, that applicants possess the minimum skills and qualifications necessary to provide safe and effective services to the public.

ACUPUNCTURE BOARD

The Acupuncture Board licenses and regulates individuals practicing acupuncture pursuant to the Acupuncture Licensure Act. Acupuncture is a theory and method for treatment of illness and disability and for strengthening and invigorating the body.

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Department of Consumer Affairs, Bureaus

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is responsible for promoting and protecting the interests of millions of California consumers by serving as a guardian and advocate for their health, safety, and economic well-being and by promoting legal and ethical standards of professional conduct

Department of Consumer Affairs, Boards

The Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) is responsible for promoting and protecting the interests of millions of California consumers by serving as a guardian and advocate for their health, safety, and economic well-being and by promoting legal and ethical standards of professional conduct

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Department of Fair Employment & Housing

The Department of Fair Employment and Housing is responsible for protecting the people of California from unlawful discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations, and from the perpetration of acts of hate violence.

Fair Employment & Housing Commission

The Fair Employment and Housing Commission is a quasi-judicial body responsible for the promotion and enforcement of the state's civil rights laws concerning discrimination in employment, housing, and public accommodations; family, medical, and pregnancy disability leave; hate violence, and threats of violence

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Never understood the idea that I have to give up what I've earned so you, (who have never earned) can have a better life.

Or, I have to give up mine so you (who have made poor life choices) can be "equal" to me.

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Well, there is "high un-employment" because the COST of hiring people is so high. What with the protection of lawyers against lawsuits, and the cost of ObamaCare...most companies cannot afford to hire more people. Then, you have to make sure your workplace is diverse..

Add to the fact that most laid-off workers can make 1/2 of what they were earning on un-employment and noone is hiring or even looking for a job.

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