Calif. Senator to Sue Schwarzenegger Over Budget Cuts

By Rob Quinn, Newser Staff

Posted Aug 8, 2009 6:24 AM CDT

(Newser) – The leader of California's Senate says he'll take Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to court for using line-item vetoes to slash another $500 million from the budget deal he was sent last week, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Democrat Darrell Steinberg accuses Schwarzenegger of overstepping his authority by making the cuts. "We elected a governor, not an emperor," Steinberg says, warning that the balance of power in the state is being upset.

Steinberg says the cuts, which came from social services and health care programs, are illegal and "completely contrary" to the deal the governor hammered out with lawmakers to solve the state's budget crisis. A spokesman for Schwarzenegger said the government had no choice but to make the cuts and predicted the court will rule in the governor's favor.

[Images (3)]

[Quotes (1)]

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, stares as Republicans stall the vote on the budget bill in the Senate at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., last month. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

State Senate President Pro Tem Darrell Steinberg, D-Sacramento, right, discusses the state budget compromise worked out with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and Republican legislative leaders last month. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger discuss the $85 billion revised state budget he signed during ceremonies at the Capitol in Sacramento, Calif., last month. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

Taking another whack out of the most vulnerable Californians is wrong, contrary to what we agreed to and it violates the separation of powers principles.
- California Sen. Darrell Steinberg

« Prev« Prev | Next »Next » Slideshow

To report an error on this story, notify our editors.

More Newser Stories

Governator: Congress Is Full of Wimps

Schwarzenegger eyes return to acting

(NEWSER) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is on his way out of office with dismal approval ratings and a proposition to dismantle much of his legacy on the ballot—but he's going out fighting. In an interview with ABC' s Diane Sawyer, the once-and-future Terminator slammed the "wimps" in Congress for not standing up to the oil companies and argued that his state's energy policy, which Proposition 23 aims to roll back, should be a model for the country. More»

Schwarzenegger Drops State Workers to Minimum Wage

State controller refuses to cut smaller checks

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger upped the ante in his budget standoff with the state legislature yesterday, ordering almost all state workers' pay cut to the federal minimum wage—$7.25 per hour—effective immediately. The State Controller, Democrat John Chiang, says he won’t obey that order, the LA Times reports, but the Department of Personnel Administration says he doesn’t have a choice. The last time Chiang refused to cut worker benefits, in 2008, Schwarzenegger took him to court and won. More»

Jerry Brown Launches Run, Stresses He's an Insider

Says California can't afford another novice like Schwarzenegger

(NEWSER) - Jerry Brown entered the race for California governor today, vowing to use his experience as a former two-term governor to "get California working again." Brown, a Democrat and current attorney general, used the unpopularity of Arnold Schwarzenegger to criticize Republican candidate Meg Whitman. Like Schwarzenegger before her, the former eBay CEO is running as an outsider to politics, notes the Los Angeles Times . More»

NY State of Mind Almost as Bad as Calif.'s

Both states' revenues, budgets, legislatures create cause for alarm

(NEWSER) - Don’t look now, New Yorkers, but your state government is sinking to California-like depths of lousiness. New York’s 2010 budgetary fitness ranks below that of 33 other states in Pew’s latest ranking, trailing the likes of Louisiana, Alaska, and South Carolina. And that’s unlikely to improve, “because New York’s elected officials seem determined to make us No. 1 in dysfunction,” Chris Smith writes for New York magazine. More»

Arnold: 'No One Is Perfect'

Governor owns up to traffic violation

(NEWSER) - Arnold Schwarzenegger admitted he's not above the occasional traffic violation today after being caught parking in a red zone. The slip-up just proves that "no one is perfect—not even me," the governor said today. California forbids parking or stopping in red zones, but that didn't stop Schwarzenegger or his wife, Maria Shriver, who was videotaped parking in one last month, TMZ reports. More»

NEWS FROM OUR PARTNERS

What is Newser?

Face it: there's too much news. At Newser, we choose the most thought-provoking and entertaining stories from hundreds of US and international sources and reduce them to a headline, picture, and two paragraphs. And we do it 24/7—you can come back morning, noon, night (and in between) for something new that matters. Read less, know more.

Learn more »

Partnering with: Slate

View Newser on the mobile website