The budget signed by the Governor in October is already six billion dollars out-of-whack…and Schwarzenegger is hoping to fix that before he leaves office in a few weeks. As soon as the new group of lawmakers is sworn in, he's expected to call the emergency session and release his own budget plan. But Democrats say it may be a bit late for that. Democratic Senate Leader Darrell Steinberg:
"We'll of course work with Governor Schwarzenegger but I think in terms of actual agreements and probably action, we're going to work with Governor Brown as well."
But Republican leaders say they're pleased about the session. New Assembly GOP Leader Connie Conway says it's an opportunity that shouldn't be wasted:
"I just think it's expedient that we do something now. We're going to call a special session. Let's get to work right then and there. The longer we wait the worse the situation gets."
Jack Pitney is a Professor of Government at Claremont-McKenna College. He says politically, the lame-duck Governor has little clout, but it's not surprising he's making an effort:
"It's really going to be really difficult for the governor to make any serious changes in the fleeting weeks that remain in his tenure, but give the guy credit for trying."