Cal­i­for­nia law­mak­ers find solu­tion to cut $17 bil­lion from loom­ing bud­get deficit

Gov. Gavin New­som (D‑CA) and Demo­c­ra­t­ic law­mak­ers in Cal­i­for­nia reached an agree­ment Thurs­day to slash the state’s mas­sive bud­get deficit by $17.3 bil­lion through an array of cuts, delays, and defer­rals. 
Though the state’s exact bud­get deficit is uncer­tain, the Leg­isla­tive Ana­lyst Office report­ed it was $73 bil­lion ear­li­er this year, while New­som says it’s $38 bil­lion. In any case, law­mak­ers have found a way to begin fill­ing the short­fall after state Sen­ate lead­ers pro­posed a “Shrink the Short­fall” plan last month, which includ­ed Newsom’s bud­get sug­ges­tions from Jan­u­ary. 
The agree­ment pro­pos­es $3.6 bil­lion in cuts to areas of wel­fare, cli­mate pro­grams, and some schools. It also maps out $5.2 bil­lion in delays and defer­rals, includ­ing pub­lic trans­porta­tion.  
Anoth­er $3.4 bil­lion in ex …