moodboard/Thinkstock
California Democrats are forging ahead with Governor Gavin Newsom on plans to address a major budget shortfall but Republicans feel left out of the process. Newsom and legislative leaders are fast-tracking an “Early Action Budget Package” which aims to take as much as $18-billion dollars out of the expected shortfall. The total deficit is somewhere between $38-billion and $3-billion. The Governor and the Legislative Analyst’s Office have come out with drastically different numbers. Republican budget vice-chair Roger Niello says, quote, “the budget process has been degraded…with unilateral decision-making happening behind closed doors by one political party.” Niello wants to see a return of the budget conference committee process which enables more public discussion between legislative houses.