State Controller John Chiang says the budget passed by the Legislature was not balanced. As a result, he is halting paychecks to state lawmakers. State Sen. Noreen Evans slammed the decision, saying Chaing had had “precipitated a constitutional crisis” by breaching the separation between the legislative and the executive branches. Other North Bay lawmakers called the issue a distraction. What do you think?

For years, Democrats have longed for the authority to pass a state budget with simple majorities in both houses of the state Legislature. Thanks to Prop. 25, they finally get their wish this year – along with a $28.1 billion budget deficit. In the short term, the picture in Sacramento looks ugly, says PD columnist Pete Golis. Get ready for painful spending cuts and, potentially, a special election in June to vote on higher taxes.

The Press Democrat Editorial Board endorsed Prop. 25, which would eliminate the two-thirds vote requirement and enable the Legislature to adopt a budget on a simple majority vote. Did the PD Editorial Board make the right pick? Disagree with the choice? Discuss the endorsement here.

They are opposed to legalizing pot. And they favor raising vehicle license fees to support parks. The Board of Supervisors staked out positions on nine measures on the November ballot. See where they stand.