Lawmakers Make Headway On Budget Package

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) -- California lawmakers have made headway on a budget package aimed at closing the state's $26.6 billion deficit, but two of the plan's most contentious elements remain undecided.

The state Assembly and Senate on Wednesday approved eight measures authorizing billions of dollars in cuts to various state programs. Several votes came down to razor-thin margins, with almost no support from Republican lawmakers.

The Assembly fell one vote short of approving a divisive bill to eliminate the state's more than 400 redevelopment agencies, preventing the Senate from taking up the measure.

The Legislature is scheduled to reconvene Thursday to tackle that issue as well as Gov. Jerry Brown's plan to ask voters to approve a temporary extension of sales, income and vehicle taxes set to expire this year.

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