This bill would call a statewide special election to be held on June 10, 2010.

Thirty California counties were mad as hell last week, and vowed that they wouldn't take it anymore.

After California legislators were unable to come together last weekend to fix the epic failure that is our budget crisis, no definitive deal was struck until Thursday. But before that, threats were made.

With a likelihood of a $47 million decrease in funding and $340 million in deferred payments from the state, California's 110 community colleges have not escaped the doom-and-gloom of budget cuts.

There is a great movie in which a person decides that he wants to bring down a huge and prosperous company. The best way to do so, he decides, is to do so from the inside, intentionally running things so slap-dash and inefficiently, as to force the company into a tailspin. As things go down, down, down, some of the top members head for the hills. As their last resort, all of the fellow employees turn to their CEO, who was less of a micromanager than a laissez-faire type of guy everyone likes.

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will hold a press conference to discuss the passage of the historic budget package that solves California’s $42 billion deficit.

Watch the live webcast at 12:00 p.m.

Thegreatest irony in the deal Sen. Abel Maldonado struck in exchange for a"yes" vote on the state budget: If thenonpartisan primary that's headed for the June 2010 ballot is approved, itwould greatly decrease the chances of Californiaever again going through months of legislative waterboarding.

The California Legislature passed a Top Two Open Primary Consitutional Amendment this morning to be placed before the voters in 2010. This is a truly unexpected turn of events. Senator Abel Maldonado made the action a part of three reform demands before he would consider voting on California's complex budget solution.

Legislators who want to be true leaders should follow the example of Sen.Abel Maldonado and not only refuse pay raises any time the state's ina deficit, but also agree to cut their pay immediately.

Of allthe demands from all the Republicans in all the California Legislature, this onesounds so imminently sensible that it should happen even if it doesn't make itinto the final budget legislation, assuming the state some day reaches thatpoint.

Times, like patterns, ebb and flow predictably with time. There is still hope that the economic crisis of 2008-2009 will not be nearly as bad as the Great Depression, despite the widespread failure of banks. And various cities across California are dealing with the situation as they best see fit, with belt tightening and spending, hoping to receive greater returns.

California is one state Senate vote away from having a balanced budget through what's left of this year, and 2009-2010 as well. Though how that vote will come is still playing out, and it seems likely to happen sooner rather than later.

This is a good thing. For too long, California's uncertain finances have wreaked havoc on people who work for the state, and those who depend on state services.