SACRAMENTO — Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said today he plans to declare a fiscal emergency next month in the face of a $14 billion budget shortfall, clearing the way for his administration and lawmakers to make immediate mid-year spending cuts in state services.

The governor, during a speech about health care in Long Beach, said the fiscal pain would be spread “across the board” but that passage of a long-awaited, health-care reform plan in the meantime would ease impacts on the poor who depend on Medi-Cal, government-subsidized health insurance.

“We are going to call this January for a fiscal emergency when the legislators come back” Schwarzenegger said. “We will make that announcement next week some time with the legislative leaders. We will address that.”

Voters gave California’s governor the power to declare a fiscal emergency when they passed Proposition 58 three years ago. Today’s announcement marks the first time Schwarzenegger has exercised the authority.

Contra Costa Times

I must remark how quite enjoyable it is to watch California politics from the other side of the country. The icing on the cake in this latest bout of mayhem is that the guy declaring the disaster is the same guy that helped create it.