Tale of 2 Budgets

Not long ago California was battling New York state to be No. 1 in the nation in population and fighting to stay No. 2 in the budget. California won one and lost one, emerging as No. 1 in both population and state spending in the late 1960s.

It was something of a surprise, then, to read recently that New York Gov. Mario M. Cuomo had unveiled a fiscal 1986-87 state budget of $41 billion. The previous week Gov. George Deukmejian proposed a $36.7-billion budget for California.

A little checking reveals that New York did not suddenly spurt ahead of the Golden State in a new wave of spending by Democrat Cuomo. The $41-billion figure includes more than $9 billion in federal aid.

In California the total budget figure always is reported without counting the federal money. Not counting likely federal budget cuts, the state is expected to receive $14.7 billion from Washington during the fiscal year starting July 1--making the California budget an actual total of $51.4 billion.

Albany is different in another way. The New York fiscal year begins on April 1. But Associated Press correspondent Mark Humbert says that the Empire State Legislature often misses that deadline, just as California has in the past with July 1.