Sources say that Gov. Schwarzenegger is spending the day in Idaho.  Now, he normally visits Idaho to ski in Sun Valley, so I’d have to assume that’s the reason for this trip.  But we’re in the midst of secret budget negotiations, and right when a deal is nearing, the Governor leaves for the ski lifts and the hot cocoa?

Here are some images of Californians who won’t be making the trip out to Sun Valley now or probably any time in the future.  First, the jobless who will be lucky just to receive their benefits:

California not only has the nation’s third highest unemployment rate but its Unemployment Insurance Fund has taken a bigger beating than any other state, a new report from the National Conference of State Legislatures indicates.

California’s UIF dropped from $639.2 million to just $71.8 million during 2008 as unemployment soared to about 1.5 million workers, forcing it to join six other states in borrowing money from the federal government to keep the checks rolling out to the jobless.

Then there are the state employees, who got their own vacation last Friday, albeit one of the “forced and unpaid” variety, and the effect on the cities that serve them was immediate and negative:

An unpaid holiday for its largest employer was the last thing Sacramento needed Friday.

Already suffering under 8.7 percent unemployment, the region endured its first day of state-worker furloughs. Most state offices stayed closed, while an appeals court denied a last-ditch union petition to block the furloughs.

The effect was immediate. Traffic was light through much of downtown and midtown Sacramento, where tens of thousands of employees normally congregate, and business was down at numerous restaurants and stores.

“It’s tough to be a small business downtown, and for them to take out a Friday,” said Ryan Rose, manager at Zocalo restaurant east of the Capitol. Friday is usually his busiest day for lunch, and though business was better than he feared, it was lighter than usual.

And then there are those serviced by county governments, who are seeing those services vanish due to the delay in payments from the Controller because of the cash crisis.

What exactly is the controller withholding from counties?

The controller is getting ready to delay the state’s February payment to counties for social service programs. Meanwhile, the Schwarzenegger administration is proposing to defer payments for up to six more months as part of a new state budget agreement.

How much money are we talking about?

The state controller is looking to delay $172 million in payments to counties for February, according to the California State Association of Counties.

What is that money for?

That money is for social service programs like foster care, food stamps, child welfare, adoption programs, adult protective services and more.

What happens in March if counties don’t get their state payments this month?

It depends on the county, but many will not be able to cover the cost of state- mandated social service programs. Sacramento County spent most of its reserves in recent years and doesn’t have enough to pick up the tab.

With the state at rock bottom and some kind of deal urgently needed, it’s curious that the very man who railed against lawmakers for dawdling and dithering and leaving the state during budget negotiations for years is doing the EXACT SAME THING himself.

Welcome to furlough day, that time of year twice a month where state workers take a (government-imposed) break, stopping to smell the roses, think about the good times, and just be.

Scores of state offices will be closed today as more than 200,000 workers take their first unpaid day off in response to California’s deepening fiscal crisis.

That means Californians won’t be able to take a driver’s license test or conduct business at some state office buildings […]

Among the closed offices will be all Department of Motor Vehicles outlets, Fish and Game, Food and Agriculture, Social Services and the Commission on Teacher Credentialing.

The Department of Mental Health will be closed, but mental hospitals will remain open. Workers Compensation offices will be closed.

State parks, which generate revenue from entrance fees, will remain open, as will state courts, the secretary of state’s offices, California Highway Patrol offices and campuses of the University of California, Cal State and California Community Colleges. Public safety employees are exempt from the Friday furloughs and can schedule their days off differently.

I particularly enjoy that the Governor’s Office of Emergency Services is closed.  Good thing no emergencies happen on a Friday!  I’d ask Arnold’s press secretary about that one, but he’s probably not working today.

The other offices that are closed are the Employment Development Department and the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board.  The salaries of those employees are largely paid by the US Department of Labor, and so, while very little or no money will be saved, the jobless will find it harder to collect, which is probably the point.

Over the objections of the federal government, workers handling jobless assistance claims and appeals have been ordered by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to go on furlough — even though nearly all their salaries are paid by the U.S. Labor Department, and their days off will save the state very little or no money.

In a letter late last month, the department warned that furloughs could worsen the state’s current “below standard performance” in meeting criteria for the timely handling of unemployment claims and appeals.

Failure to comply with the department’s demands could violate Social Security laws, said the letter’s author, Richard C. Trigg, regional administrator in San Francisco of the Labor Department’s Employment and Training Administration.

The governor’s office said it was unmoved by the federal concerns.

Now that’s the spirit of the furlough holiday season!

Somebody should ask Arnold if he’s closing the unemployment office so people can’t get their benefits.  Maybe on Monday.  Because, you know, he’s a state employee, so he must be off today.

…I would actually be OK with a 4 day, 10 hour work week that would save on energy and transportation costs and increase employee satisfaction as well as recruitment for state jobs.  And if employees staggered their time off, government offices could stay open full-time.  But this blanket furlough and pay cut is nuts.

According to Darrell Steinberg there’ll be a budget vote next week.  Thanks for leaving the cone of silence to let us know, pal!  In the meantime:

• The judge who allowed furloughs for state workers to go through is saying that the order does not necessarily apply to employees of Constitutional officers.  Jon Ortiz discusses the ramifications at The State Worker.  The first furlough day, by the way, is set for tomorrow.

• The editorial board revolt in the Central Valley, hard-hit by the economic crisis, continues.  The Merced Sun-Star is unusually blunt: “Why should Democrats negotiate if Republicans refuse to budge?”  And the Stockton Record is actually calling on its readers to take action in a way I’ve rarely seen from a local newspaper.  Something is different.

• The UC Board of Regents approved an overhaul of the admissions process. President Yudof hopes that the changes will increase socioeconomic diversity, thus increasing other sorts of diversity.

• This is an incredible story about ACORN saving a couple’s home from foreclosure in Oakland.  While the Feds do little to stop foreclosures, community organizing is making things happen.  But they’re destroying the fabric of our electoral system!!! /peak wingnut

• OC Progressive asks you to  name the conservative, and it’s not who you think.

• The May Day lawsuits, stemming from police brutality and tear gassing after a pro-immigration rally, have finally been settled, to the tune of $13 million dollars.

In what is known as a “tentative ruling”, Sacramento Superior Court Judge Patrick Marlett stated that Gov. Schwarzenegger did not exceed his authority by issuing the furlough order.  A tentative ruling can be changed after the oral arguments are heard, but strongly indicates how the judge is feeling on the case based upon the briefs. Judge Marlett has a bit of time after the arguments to either change his opinion or make the tentative ruling final.

Obviously, this is a blow to the state’s workers.  In the Bee’s article, a spokesman for SEIU Local 1000 makes this clear:

“We’ve been bargaining continuously with the state for the past week and we hope that we can mitigate this at the bargaining table,” Zamora said. “We think we can help the governor achieve his cost savings goals but also cause minimum disruption to the lives of 95,000 state workers that we represent and continue to provide quality public services,” (SacBee 1/29/09)

The unions can appeal the decision once it goes final, but this is likely to settle at the bargaining table and in the legislature with a budget plan.