State lawmakers receive big incentive for cutting budget deal

Namely, a suspension of their salaries and per diem payments, effective June 15. State Controller John Chiang cited last fall's passage of Proposition 25, which calls for lawmaker pay to be docked if the budget is not passed by June 15. Actually, the legislature signed off on a budget bill in March, but it closed only part of the deficit. The rest will require either a tax extension or further budget cuts. Here's Chiang's analysis. Meanwhile, Gov. Jerry Brown said this morning that he's hoping to find a "zone of agreement" on the gridlocked state budget. Whatever that means.