California is gearing up for an extremely difficult budget year with the Legislative Analyst’s Office and Governor Schwarzenegger’s administration projecting an increasingly bleak budget outlook.

The Governor’s finance officials are projecting a California budget deficit of roughly $14 billion, significantly larger than the $9.8 billion gap previously forecast by a state budget analyst, according to two sources who spoke to the governor….Schwarzenegger last month ordered all departments to prepare spending plans 10 percent below than what they had anticipated, and GOP lawmakers are calling for immediate midyear cuts in spending.

CALCASA will continue to request that the Governor provide leadership to ensure that dollars designated for crime victims stay with victims. In particular, CALCASA will urge the Governor and legislators to resist the temptation to borrow against the Crime Victims Compensation Fund as a way to address the budget shortfall.