Brown: Calif. to Impose Another $1B in Budget Cuts

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) — Gov. Jerry Brown says California needs to make about $1 billion in midyear cuts to schools and social services.

Brown said Tuesday that state revenues have fallen $2.2 billion below projections, triggering automatic midyear reductions to public schools, universities and colleges, Medi-Cal, and in-home support for seniors and the disabled.

The cuts are below previous estimates, allowing the state to avoid deeper cuts to public schools that could have including reducing the school year by up to seven days.

Brown and fellow Democrats in the Legislature had hoped for a $4 billion increase in tax revenue through the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. The budget they passed last summer without Republican support was based on a combination of spending cuts, fee hikes and overly optimistic revenue projections.