California state budget breakthrough announced
Wyatt Buchanan & Marisa Lagos/San Francisco Chronicle
State leaders have made a breakthrough in the record-breaking budget stalemate, announcing Thursday they have agreed on a framework for solving California's $19 billion budget deficit. The bare-bones announcement came after the second day of meetings in Los Angeles, where negotiations were moved because Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been sick and unable to fly to the capital. The state has been without a budget for 86 days. Sources close to the talks said leaders had agreed to make $7.5 billion in spending cuts and that they are assuming the state will receive a significant amount of federal money, which has not been promised. (more…)