Jerry Brown Inherits Schwarzenegger’s Struggle to Cut Deficit
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California Governor-elect Jerry Brown faces the same dilemma over a widening budget gap that helped make his predecessor, Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger, one of the most unpopular state executives in 50 years.
Brown, a Democrat who defeated former EBay Inc. chief executive officer Meg Whitman yesterday, must close a deficit for next year that may exceed the $19 billion gap Schwarzenegger bridged last month. He faces the same fractious Legislature whose standoff over paring spending or raising taxes left the state without a budget for a record 100 days.