Schwarzenegger to sign budget Tuesday -- 85 days late
SACRAMENTO -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will sign the state budget Tuesday morning, his office said. That would make the budget law 85 days after the fiscal year began, a record in state tardiness.
Schwarzenegger is expected to veto line items amounting to millions of dollars in spending.
Aaron McLear, the governor's press secretary, said the governor would sign the budget in his office without the public ceremony that often accompanies such events.
About 80,000 unpaid state bills have piled up during the impasse. Controller John Chiang's office said it planned to pay out about $3.6 billion within 48 hours of the budget's becoming law.
In preparation for state money to begin flowing again after nearly three months, Chiang is urging state agencies to attend first to the backlog of payments owed to nursing homes, community colleges, day-care operators and small businesses.
jordan.rau@latimes.com
