It's happening. 200,000 California employees furloughed tomorrow. Offices closed including DMV.

[Liberal_in_LA]

I guess traffic will be light tomorrow. Wow. Can't believe this is really happening. 200,000 just received a 5% pay cut for February.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-state-closures6-2009feb06,0,3708117.story

Scores of California state offices to be closed today
More than 200,000 California employees will be forced to take an unpaid day off in response to the state's worsening fiscal crisis. The DMV will be among the departments not open.

By Jean Merl
February 6, 2009
Scores of state offices will be closed today as more than 200,000 workers take their first unpaid day off in response to California's deepening fiscal crisis.

That means Californians won't be able to take a driver's license test or conduct business at some state office buildings.

But, adding to the potential for consumer confusion, some state services and facilities will be open for business as usual.

The state judge who last month upheld the governor's furlough order said Thursday that his decision did not apply to about 15,600 employees of statewide elected officials, such as the attorney general, schools chief and controller. Administration officials said they may file a lawsuit in coming weeks seeking to also keep those workers home.

Workers in some other departments will take their unpaid days off on a different schedule, and the governor's office decided Thursday to keep open all one-stop career centers for the unemployed.

[CountAllVotes]

1. thanks ahnuld

this will solve the budget crisis that you have created! :mad:

[struggle4progress]

15. After booting Davis for an $8 billion shortfall , the Publicans turned it into $40 billion short

[inna]

19. i wonder if things would be different if Davis had not been booted... nt

[struggle4progress]

22. His first official act was to cut the vehicle licensing tax: that's cost CA tens of billions

And lots of people said that the day he did it

[CountAllVotes]

40. ahnuld is repealing that

so everyone that went out and bought themselves a new Prius (or whatever) will be paying twice the amount for the registration fee (tags) on their cars this next year. Tags on new cars cost a bundle. Many people will soon be wishing they hadn't bothered to buy a new fuel efficient car this past year or so very soon!

[shanti]

44. yes

i've read where the total amount of the vehicle tax cuts to date equals the shortfall.

[ThomCat]

20. And yet, Arnold is still in office somehow.

It just goes to show yet again that Democrats and Republicans are held to two different sets of rules.

If any democrat has been in office while California sank this far I think every major Republican with a microphone would be trumpeting it and using it as proof that somehow Democrats can't handle money.

But Arnold is somehow still in office. The state legislators will hammer out some kind of solution because they have no choice at this point. But he'll somehow get the credit for it.

[shanti]

45. we can't afford another recall

probably the main reason it isn't happening now :(

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

27. Much as I'd love to hit the scumbag, it ain't Arnold.

This is a problem plaguing just about every state, and it's because the economic downturn has severely impacted states' ability to raise money. And since states can't go into nearly infinite debt like the feds, that's why this happens.

If you want to blame anyone, blame Bush. Not JUST because of his policies causing this downturn, but because he slashed federal aid to states in the form of cutting funding for vital programs, including education (each state's biggest expenditure). That's put an absolute choke hold on states.

[firedupdem]

2. Crazy!

And these idiots want to play politics with the recovery package. It better get passed tomorrow! But they keep saying this is because people bought homes they couldn't afford? They never say they could afford the houses until their jobs ceased to exist!

:grr:

[shanti]

3. it's not 5%

it's almost double that at 9.23%.

[avaistheone1]

4. How did you arrive at 9.23%

[shanti]

42. it's in the sacramento bee n/t

[Liberal_in_LA]

5. Really. I was calculating 1 day lost out of 20 working days per month.

[avaistheone1]

6. 1 day lost out of 20 days is a 5% cut back

[hay rick]

9. 2 days a month

according to the article. Do state workers have the option to use vacation time for those days?

[avaistheone1]

10. You are correct.

[Born_A_Truman]

49. Over a year's time it will be nearly a month's pay

Two days per month=24 days a year.

I guess my DH is lucky. Gov is talking about cutting 5 days out of the school year. Of course teachers will have to teach the full course in less days, but it won't cost a month's salary.

[shanti]

43. no, they do not

even if they work those days, 2 days worth of pay will be taken. i've heard that some agencies are allowing their staff to "bank" the days to use later though.

[Garbo 2004]

52. It's unpaid leave...cannot use vacation or other leave credits. n/t

[defendandprotect]

7. And we bailed out capitalism -- !!! What was the total? $8.5 Trillion??????

Calculating the Total Bailout Costs | The Big Picture
... the $8.5 trillion figure for the total cost of the bailouts. Below is a table, ... The Swedish government has ruled out a takeover of the country's beleaguered ...www.ritholtz.com/blog/2008/12/calculating-the-total-bailout-costs - 58k - Cached


Let's get over capitalism and move on to economic democracy -- democratic socialism!

[Frank Booth]

8. The government workers I've talked to are actually happy about this.

They'll gladly take a couple extra 3 day weekends every month.

To each his own, I guess.

[Politicalboi]

51. And it's better than laying people off

That was the choice. They're lucky to have a good paying job these days.

[tomreedtoon]

11. "I haff fixed traffic in Ka-le-for-ni-ya!"

Der Gropenfuhrer has triumphed!

[Life Long Dem]

12. One day off.

[ddeclue]

13. There actually ARE 200,000 state employees in CA?

Wow..that makes one out of every what 750 Californians works for the state?

Seems high...

Doug D.

[trashcanistanista]

14. The State of California is the largest

employer in the State. I'm not even sure if this counts Corrections and Health. It could be more than 200,000.

[ColbertWatcher]

17. Your numbers are wrong. How many people do you think live in California? n/t

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

28. Actually, it's worse.

California has 36 million people/200k government workers = 1:180 ratio.

[Uzybone]

34. About 0.5% not high at all

seems close to percentage of federal workers in the country.

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

35. True, but it's still higher than the Sub-OP's figure (nt)

[Uzybone]

36. True, sub OP pulled thier numbers from thin air

[Nicholas D Wolfwood]

37. Which is why I pulled out the real ones.

I'm probably not making myself clear here, and I apologize for that. I'm not being critical of the figure in any way - I'm just bringing some facts to the party. Honestly, they should probably hire more people, not less.

[Liberal_in_LA]

39. Yep. I think it's 1 in 150 CA works for the state

[ColbertWatcher]

16. Arnold Schwarzenegger's crowning achievement!

He will go down in history for this monumental failure.

Great legacy, asshole!

[reggie the dog]

18. if they stop food stams, welfare and the like too

look for a sharp and I mean SHARP increase in carjackings, robberies, looting of food stores, robbing of food stores, rape, murder, basically anarchy and chaos. I tend to be a pacifist but if I were in California I would either stay home with lots of guns and bullets or go far away, taking with me anything valuable (inculding said guns and bullets). the shit is going to hit the fan.

[ThomCat]

21. Look for an increase in suicides too.

:(

People who can't resort to crime are going to be desperate too.

[reggie the dog]

23. I forgot about that

as well as increased prostitution, drug dealing, and scamming.

[WinkyDink]

33. Not to mention family-murders.

[shanti]

46. actually, there has been an increase

in home invasions here in sacramento. wait until after the (reduced) payroll checks come out march 1. it's going to get ugly.

[reggie the dog]

48. all hell could break loose

this is not good

[ClarkUSA]

24. Ahnuld has been a disaster for CA... a Democrat can and should replace him.

[book_worm]

25. Recall Arnold!

[Dawgs]

26. Good. I would rather business/government cut pay and time than cut jobs.

I know it's harsh, but how many of you would take a 10% pay cut if it meant staying out of this employment market.

[vaberella]

41. I'm obligated to agree. An uncertain future is far more disheartening than a day off. n/t

[shanti]

47. it would only affect

the ones on the bottom. i do believe though, that arnold is planning to lay off as well as furlough, so the ones with the lowest amount of seniority are going to be seriously fucked.

[SlipperySlope]

50. I did take a 10% pay cut.

My employer gave me a 10% pay cut with no reduction in worktime. I don't care - I'm happy to keep my job right now.

At least the California workers get 10% pay cut and 10% time off. I wouldn't mind spending two Fridays a month with my family.

[CATagious]

53. I got a 15% reduction a couple months ago. nm.

[WinkyDink]

29. The poison seed was planted in 1978. Proposition 13:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Proposition_13_(1978)

[Blue_Tires]

30. i remember a few years back the state (VA) wanted to phase out

a bunch of DMV locations, so employees at the places scheduled to close were given two or three weeks' notice...but so many workers just said "fuck it -- you're getting rid of me in two weeks? I'll just leave and take vacation now!" that they had to close earlier than expected...it also created a huge glut at the remaining open places

[1776Forever]

31. CA is going to be the next Paris - I see this coming to a boil real soon.

I hope something can be done but it looks bleak as hell out there. It is bad enough elsewhere but CA has been taking it on the chin for years!

[slackmaster]

32. OMG! THIS COULD BE WORSE THAN Y2K!!!111!!!!!

:nuke:

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

38. Nice going Arny boy. What a dope.