Big votes tomorrow in capitol

Both state houses will be voting on budget packages, but neither bill is expected to get the necessary two-thirds vote. From Capitol Alert:

Republicans will try to make the case that a vote for the Democratic budget is a vote for tax hikes on oil production, corporations and middle-class Californians. Democrats who are vulnerable can say they did not cast a formal vote for a tax hike. Democrats will try to make the case that the Republican budget costs the state jobs and billions in federal dollars, while hurting low-income Californians and students.

They've reached the point where IOUs might need to be readied in the next couple of weeks (that's what state Controller John Chiang has warned). Also tomorrow is an expected Senate vote on the much-followed legislation that would ban the use of plastic bags. It's likely to be close - lots of last-minute lobbying by the plastics industry because if California bans the bags, other states are likely to follow. The governor has said he would sign the bill. Here's a backgrounder from the Christian Science Monitor.