By MATTHEW YI, San Francisco Chronicle

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- More than a dozen state lawmakers have missed much of the special legislative session called to tackle the state's fiscal mess, instead traveling to India, China and Hawaii to learn about education, high-speed rail and dams.

SAN FRANCISCO -- A week after he signed the tardiest budget in state history, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger set another record: He vetoed the largest percentage of bills this year of any California governor in four decades.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's bombshell plan to slash the pay of state workers and lay off thousands of other employees to ease a looming cash shortage brought on by the state's budget impasse faces the same obstacle that arose five years ago during a state fiscal crisis: a state controller unwilling to cooperate.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's controversial plan to borrow against future state lottery revenue has been successful in other states, but California may find it difficult to raise enough money from lottery ticket sales to repay bonds used to bridge its giant budget deficit, lottery experts said Thursday.

California's looming budget deficit has ballooned to an estimated $14 billion, creating a crisis that fiscal experts say is likely to require higher taxes in addition to across-the-board cuts