Governor Schwarzenegger says the answer is to cut everyone's budget by 10-percent. Governor Schwarzenegger has a tough sell with his 10-percent across the board budget cuts. Yet he's criss crossing the state hoping to make the medicine go down easier with a personal visit.
Arnold Schwarzenegger, California Governor: "We only have $96-billion dollars in revenue coming in. We cannot promise the people more than we have. You cannot do business this way, no family can live like that when you spend more money than you have."
The budget cuts aren't sitting well with Fresno County Educators.
Larry Moore, Fresno Teacher's Association: "We have to recognize the state has a huge deficit and we all have to do our part. But we shouldn't balance it on the backs of our children."
Or those in law enforcement who worry about the potential release of 20,000 prisoners.
14-hundred of whom would end up in Fresno County.
Margaret Mims, Fresno County Sheriff: "Those inmates are going to be getting out, coming back to our communities, they won't have served their time and they've got a get out of jail free card."
Governor Schwarzenegger didn't get into specifics of what would be cut, his visit around the state is nothing more than adding some sugar to the medicine he's doling out.
Schwarzenegger: "Someone once said balancing a budget is like going to heaven, everyone wants to do it but no one wants to do the work that it takes to get there. "
The governor did have at least one big supporter Fresno Mayor Alan Autry.
Alan Autry, Fresno Mayor: "I fully support your 10-percent cut, we did it in Fresno, it was painful but when I took over we had no reserve and now we have a 20-million dollar reserve."
Governor Schwarzenegger says it's now up to legislators to negotiate and talk to him about what the state's priorities are.
He's also pushing his budget stabilization act which would reform the state budget process and create a rainy year fund for times like this when we have a budget crisis.
