Schwarzenegger Reaches California Budget Deal

By Jim Christie, Reuters

SACRAMENTO, California (Reuters) - California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and top lawmakers agreed on Monday to close a $26.3 billion deficit in the state's budget in a deal that includes $15.5 billion in spending cuts, they said.

The government of the most populous U.S. state, also the world's eighth-largest economy, began its fiscal year on July 1 facing the massive shortfall due to a plunge in revenues caused by the recession and rising unemployment.

Schwarzenegger, a Republican, said during a news conference the budget would be balanced through deep spending cuts and borrowing and shifting of state funds but without raising taxes.

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