Day 57: Leaders to gather in rare ‘Big 5’ meeting

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For the first time in more than two months, the Legislature’s four leaders and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger will meet face-to-face this afternoon to discuss California’s still missing state budget.

The leaders’ last joint meeting was way back on June 14 – the day before the Legislature’s constitutional deadline to pass a budget.

“I do the shuttle diplomacy, going back and forth and bringing them all together,” Schwarzenegger said earlier this week about the stalled budget negotiations.

The get-together also represents a bit of an about-face for the administration. On Tuesday, Schwarzenegger spokesman Aaron McLear blamed the lack of face-to-face gatherings of all the leaders on the disinterest of Assembly Speaker John A. Pérez (D-Los Angeles) to attend such meetings. “We can’t kidnap him,” McLear said.

-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento
twitter.com/ShaneGoldmacher