California deficit grows to $16 billion, Gov. Jerry Brown says

Brown in January had estimated a budget deficit of $9.2 billion. He warns of even more painful spending cuts to come and will present a revised plan Monday.

By Chris Megerian and Anthony York, Los Angeles Times
8:46 PM PDT, May 12, 2012

SACRAMENTO — California's projected budget deficit has ballooned to $16 billion, much larger than the $9.2 billion estimated in January, Gov. Jerry Brown said, and he warned of more painful spending cuts.

"We will have to go much further, and make cuts far greater, than I asked for at the beginning of the year," Brown said in a video posted Saturday on YouTube. He plans to detail his revised spending plan in the Capitol on Monday.

It's a significant setback for Brown, who began his return engagement in Sacramento by promising to get the budget back under control. Advocates expect the state's financial problems to take an even greater toll on welfare and healthcare for the poor; state workers are also bracing for cuts.

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