"Gov. Jerry Brown on Thursday signed California's second on-time, balanced budget in a decade — one that will sharply curb the services the state offers and that relies on a windfall of revenue.
Unlike his predecessor, Brown used his line-item veto power relatively sparingly, dashing $270 million in spending, mostly from railway projects. He also reduced money for state commissions on higher education and women, eliminated funding for a data system to track teacher performance and further trimmed court spending.
The governor enacted the $129-billion package, with a general fund of $86-billion, in his Capitol office with little fanfare.
"This is an honest but painful budget," he said in a statement.
The governor's budget director, Ana Matosantos, blamed Republican resistance to taxes for many of the latest cutbacks.
Though the budget is signed, the fight is not over. Brown, Democrats and their allies have indicated they will now begin to
plot which taxes to seek through a ballot initiative next year, saying California's financial well-being cannot be restored until more revenue is on the books."