State Controller John Chiang has once again stood up for state workers. In a short statement issued Dec. 19, Chiang criticized the governor's executive order, saying it was the painful result of the governor's and Legislature's failure to resolve the budget crisis. "It is clear that the governor's executive order would hurt public servants and in turn adversely impact our economy and slow its recovery," he wrote.

In a letter dated Dec. 23, Chiang proposed the federal government authorize a limited guaranty program for state or local infrastructure bonds to help jump-start the economy. He said the proposal could "prevent the cancellation of important state and local government projects. ... Local economies recover when people are put back to work and physical assets are created." I

n a Dec. 22 letter,  Chiang warned the governor and Legislature and the state is less than 70 days from running out of cash. He characterizing the state's financial crisis as "dire."