Luis Barrera is the manager at Alejandro’s Taqueria near the Capitol in Sacramento. Many of his customers are state workers. He says after more than a year of slow Fridays, he’s ready for a change.
Luis: “We’re happy, I am happy.” laughs
But a spokesman for the Governor says depending on the state’s budget mess, Schwarzenegger could extend the furloughs. Barrera says he knows what that would mean for him.
Luis: “Less business. Again. It’s affecting everybody, starting with the state workers, it’s like a chain, there’s not enough money, and they’re spending money. We’re affected. Everybody is affected.”
Ed Benelli is an engineer with the Department of Toxic Substances Control. He says the 15- percent pay cut that came with the furloughs last year has been rough.
Ed: “There’ve been people in our office that, believe it or not, had to go on food stamps and things like that.”
Benelli says he fully expects the furloughs to continue, given the state’s 19-billion-dollar budget hole. And Bernie Schultz, who works in I-T for the California Emergency Management Agency, is skeptical too. She says 14 months of furloughs haven’t been easy.
Bernie: “It’s meant a lot of trouble. I mean, basically I have been trying to modify my loan for my home. And basically cut back on every kind of fun thing that you can possibly do, because of course I want to keep my home.”