BUDGET CUTS BEGIN… On Tuesday, Feb. 24, the Salinas City Council backed off on freezing two police officer vacancies and voted to eliminate four community service officer positions instead of the seven originally proposed. The City Council also delayed a vote (until next week) to close City Hall and the Permit Center on Fridays as part of the first round of budget cuts designed to offset a $12.6 million deficit next fiscal year. Layoffs could come next if the police and fire unions don’t agree to 10 percent pay cuts. [ZS]

DONE DEAL… After the longest budget impasse in state history, California lawmakers finally adopted a spending plan aimed at fixing the $42 billion deficit. The 17-month budget, ending in June 2010, includes $15 billion in program cuts, $12.8 billion in temporary tax increases and $11.4 billion in borrowing. Republican Sen. Abel Maldonado, who represents the Monterey Peninsula, cast the 27th vote needed to approve the budget package. In exchange, Dems agreed to: A constitutional amendment establishing an open primary system (this will help Maldonado in his 2010 bid for statewide office); a constitutional amendment banning pay increase for legislators during deficit years; and elimination of the extra 12-cent tax on gasoline. The gas tax, estimated to bring in $2.1 billion through June 2010, was replaced by a 0.25 percent increase in the state income tax, federal stimulus dollars and more than $600 million in line-item vetoes. [JL]

POLITICS AS USUAL… Most of Sen. Abel Maldonado’s Central Coast constituents (his 15th district, stretching from southern Santa Clara County to northern Santa Barbara County, is roughly split between Democrats and Republicans), may not mind the Santa Maria Republican breaking ranks with the GOP and supporting the state budget deal. Party leaders, however, see things differently. At its convention in Sacramento, the California Republican Party voted to deny party funding for the 2010 election to Maldonado and the other five GOP lawmakers who voted to approve the state spending plan that includes nearly $13 billion in new taxes. Local anti-tax crusaders are taking it a step further, calling for a recall of Maldonado. “It is bad enough that Maldonado is responsible for the largest tax increase in California history,” said Lawrence Samuels, chairman of the Monterey County Libertarian Party “but he put into play an open primaries initiative that will wipe out third parties.” California voters will weigh in on open primaries in a May 19 special election. [JL]