Jerry Brown, Califronia's governor, has called on state assembly members to adopt austerity measures and urged citizens to approve tax increases in a speech outlining a revised budget.
Brown proposed on Monday $8.3bn in spending cuts for education, health care and welfare programmes in a plan aimed at combating the state's severe budget deficit amounting to $15.7b.
But critics say the plan will hurt the poor the most.
Al Jazeera's Rob Reynolds reports from Los Angeles.
