Funding for state falls far short of request

Funding for state falls far short of request:

"California's leaders have been looking to Washington, D.C., for budget money they say is owed as a matter of law and fairness, but President Obama's spending proposal released Monday shows he largely disagrees with those assertions."



The president has proposed giving California $1.5 billion of the $6.9 billion that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and legislative leaders had sought during a highly publicized trip to the nation's capital two weeks ago, according to the state Department of Finance.
The governor has warned of the wholesale elimination of social programs for the poor, sick and elderly if Washington isn't forthcoming with the money.
"This represents a down payment on what California is owed, and the governor will continue to work with the state's congressional delegation and federal officials to secure the balance," said H.D. Palmer, spokesman for the Finance Department.
Administration officials had counted on the money as a significant part of the solution to the state's $20 billion budget shortfall.

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