Lawsuits to Follow Governor's Cuts to HIV/AIDS, Other Programs in California State Budget

"Lawyers are being drafted in droves to unravel spending plans passed by the [California] Legislature and signed by the governor," and the "goal of these litigators is to get back money their clients lost in the budget process," the Los Angeles Times reports (Halper, 8/10). "Before signing the budget package last month, the governor made additional cuts to child welfare programs, health care for the poor and AIDS prevention efforts," according to the AP/Seattle Times. State Sen. Darrell Steinberg (D) "said Friday he will file a lawsuit next week against Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger over what he considers illegal vetoes of funding for social service programs," alleging that "the governor overstepped his constitutional authority last month when he made more cuts to the Legislature's revised spending plan" (Lin, 8/7).

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