The Sacramento Bee reports today that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will order state employees be paid federal minimum wages in response to the failure to solve the current state budget standoff. According to the article,
"Administration officials said the governor expects to take the action Monday."
Read the whole article here.
In a later post by the Bee:
The order could come as soon as Monday, with the governor arguing that the late budget creates "a real and substantial risk" of California running out of cash. One state employee has told The Bee, "I guess people will start working on Monday like they're making $6.55 an hour.
If you think that state workers' job performance isn't worth the salaries they receive now, just wait until they are working for the same wages many expect the average worker to be able to live on. I just hope that the same pay applies to the Governor and members of the California State Legislature! Their monthly postage allowance is more than minimum wage earners make.
The article goes on to state:
As envisioned, the order would take effect with the August pay period -- with state workers to get full back-pay after a budget is signed.
That budget -- with a projected and intractable deficit of $15.2 billion -- is 24 days late.
This week, the governor drew an even deeper line in the sand on the spending plan, saying in an interview that he "will not sign a budget that doesn't have budget reform in it."
Senate GOP leader Dave Cogdill issued a statement of support, saying, "The only way to truly solve the state's fiscal problems is through meaningful budget reform."
Democrats in the November elections look like the beneficiaries of the seeming Republican disregard for where the budget ax falls as The Bee further states,
On the political front, the latest Field Poll shows 2008 looking like a good year to be a Democrat.
Overall, 54 percent of likely California voters say they have a favorable opinion of the Democratic Party. Republicans received only a 31 percent favorable rating.