California State Controller John Chiang warned on Sunday that if a resolution to California's budget crisis does not come soon, the state will be broke by the end of July. He predicts that, under current conditions, the state will have a $2.78 billion deficit by July 31st. The state could wind up defaulting on loans, and Gov. Schwarzenegger warns that state services and payments could grind to a halt. Read more »

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger met with the editorial board of the Fresno Bee on Tuesday. The meeting was live-streamed on the Internet. The governor said he continues to look for ways to reduce the state's crushing budget deficit without having to raise taxes. He also said the state needs to address the water shortage issues in the Central Valley, but that it may be a difficult thing to do until the budget crisis gets resolved and state government reform is implemented. Read more »

Former Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain made a stop in Fresno on Friday with Meg Whitman, the former CEO of EBay, who is running for governor of California. Earlier in the day, McCain formally endorsed Whitman at a meeting in Orange County. McCain told reporters in Fresno that Whitman is the future of the Republican Party and that she is what California needs to get itself out of its budget mess. Read more »

On Tuesday, President Obama nominated Sonia Sotomayor to be the next U.S. Supreme Court Justice. Sotomayor is currently a federal appeals court judge. If she wins confirmation, she would become the first Hispanic and only the third female justice on the high court. In Fresno, Hispanic leaders praised the nomination, while Republican officials said they wanted the U.S. Senate to ask her tough questions during the nominating process. Read more »

With an extremely low voter turnout, those who did head to the polls on Tuesday resoundly rejected 5 of the 6 budget propositions state officials say were needed to prevent an even bigger state budget deficit. The only measure that passed, Proposition 1-F, calls for not giving state elected officials pay raises in years when there is a state deficit. According to Gov. Schwarzenegger, the defeat of the propositions will require several more billions of dollars in cuts that will hit social services and education programs hard. Read more »

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger stopped in Fresno Friday morning, pushing for passage of ballot initiatives that will allow the recently passed state budget to be implemented. The governor urged voters to pass a series of ballot proposals in a special election on May 19. If the measures do not pass, lawmakers will have to start over on a new budget plan. Read more »

It's estimated that nearly 2 million people crowded Washington, DC on Tuesday to witness the swearing in of President Obama. Among them was KSEE 24 News Executive Producer Larry Johnson. On KSEE 24 News at Six, Larry talked about having to spend more than 5 hours to get to his spot in front of the Capitol to witness history. Larry said that, despite the crowds, the waiting, and all of the security, people were in a festive mood, and just glad to be there. Read more »

Hundreds of people are gathering Tuesday night at the African American Museum in Fresno to celebrate the Obama administration. Museum Executive Director Ray Johnson told KSEE 24 News that the event is a chance for all Fresnans to come together. They are calling the event "We Are The Change". As part of the celebration, the museum will replay the entire inaugural event for those who couldn't watch it Tuesday morning. Read more »

Hundreds gathered this morning at a local restaurant to watch Barack Obama being sworn in as the 44th President of the United States. The breakfast gathering was sponsored by the Fresno County Women's Democratic Club. People at the event said they wanted to share in the excitement of today's historic event, even though they could not be in Washington to witness it in person. Read more »