California declares emergency to help balance state budget

ADAM BEAM

Associated Press

SACRAMENTO (AP) - Facing an estimated $54.3 billion shortfall, California Gov. Gavin Newsom on Thursday declared a "budget emergency" for the first time so the Legislature can pull from the state's savings account to balance a spending plan that includes cuts for colleges, courts and state worker salaries.

The move ensures the Legislature can take nearly $8 billion from the state's primary savings account to avoid even deeper spending cuts amid an economic downturn caused by the coronavirus and a subsequent stay-at-home order that has prompted more than 6.7 million C...