Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is upping the ante in the California budget crisis—by laying off 20,000 state workers. The move is intended to turn up the heat on lawmakers arguing over a package to close the state’s $41 billion budget gap, the Los Angeles Times reports. The governor and Senate Democrats are lobbying for a plan that includes more than $14 billion in new taxes, but they haven’t been able to secure a crucial third Republican vote. The administration will also shut down the last 276 public works projects, worth $3.8 billion, that had been allowed to continue operating during the state’s economic crisis.
Read it at Los Angeles Times
