The Daily News reports on an effort by Los Angeles County officials to cut their runaway office supply budget. Thanks to a system that allows employees to choose their own supplies, the county spends $195,000 a year on pens alone. Kris Vosburgh, Executive Director of the HJTA, applauds the effort by County CEO Bill Fujioka to stop this waste of taxpayer money.

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As the new budget goes into effect, California’s future financial health remains in question. Thus, as a next step, the governor has called for large-scale reform of state pensions that cost the state several billions of dollars. As this article on WKTB.com discusses, this step is controversial but may be necessary to secure the state’s financial future.

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The LA Times reports that Governor Schwarzenegger has signed the budget plan after making several more cuts to state spending. These cuts were made in attempt make up the $1.1 billion that were left unaccounted for in the proposed budget deal. Officials remain dubious that this will truly bring California out of debt.

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This article in the Sacramento Bee describes the "grueling," all-night process through which legislators finally established a budget plan. It explains how issues like oil drilling off of the Santa Barbara coast and cuts to student aid were heatedly debated and why they eventually were passed.

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California Legislature passed the budget solution after deliberating late into the night. The solution draws 60% of its funds from cuts to state services like education, state parks and prisons; the rest it draws from the treasuries of local governments. As this article in the Daily Camera reports, the new budget is likely to see significant opposition though it does not increase taxes.

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