State Supreme Court: Furloughs back on starting Friday

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California state employees face furloughs again, beginning this Friday, after a state Supreme Court ruling Wednesday.

The court overturned a lower court ruling that temporarily stopped the mandatory unpaid days for state workers.

The high court said all furlough litigation -- including the restraining order -- was to be put on hold until it rules on the larger issue of whether Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has the power to order the unpaid days off.

A hearing in that case is scheduled for next month.

‘It does appear that state workers will be furloughed until a budget passes or the state Supreme Court issues a definitive ruling,’ said Gerald James, legal counsel for Professional Engineers in California Government, one of the unions that had sued to block the furloughs.

The governor’s office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

-- Shane Goldmacher in Sacramento
twitter.com/ShaneGoldmacher