State budget analyst set to release deficit numbers

Jerry Brown may be vacationing in Arizona this week, but he's about to get some very bad news from the state's nonpartisan budget analyst.

The state legislative analyst will release a preliminary analysis of the state's budget deficit,expected to be at least $12 billion.

The number released by the analyst's office Wednesday will set the stage for Brown's first budget. He is constitutionally obligated to release a preliminary state spending plan by Jan. 10.

This year, voters passed a measure that allows a state budget to be passed by a majority vote instead of a two-thirds super-majority. But they also passed laws that limit state lawmakers' ability to borrow from local governments or raise fees.

--Anthony York in Sacramento