Supreme Court of California

In a taxpayer action filed in a state budget impasse, a preliminary injunction barring the Controller from making payments from the state treasury in absence of passage of the budget bill or an emergency appropriation was an abuse of discretion. State employees who work during a budget impasse obtain the right to payment of salary.

Appellate Information

• Decided 05/01/2003
• Published 05/01/2003

Judges

•  GEORGE, C.J.

Court

• Supreme Court of California

Counsel

• For Appellant:
  
• Anne M. Giese, Gary P. Reynolds, Daniel S. Connolly, Sacramento, and Michael D. Hersh, for Interveners and Appellants Gary Gavinski and California State Employees Association, Local 1000, SEIU, AFL-CIO, CLC., Dennis F. Moss, for Interveners and Appellants Professional Engineers in California Government and California Association of Professional Scientists., Benjamin C. Sybesma, West Sacramento, Christine Albertine, Rancho Cucamonga, and Joel H. Levinson, West Sacramento, for Intervener and Appellant California Correctional Peace Officers' Association., Carroll, Burdick & McDonough, Ronald Yank, San Francisco, Gary M. Messing, Sacramento, Laurie J. Hepler and Cathleen A. Williams for Intervener and Appellant California Union of Safety Employees., Lynn S. Carman;  Steinberg & Steinberg, Lawrence William Steinberg and Anita Steinberg, Santa Monica, for Interveners and Appellants Jerome Feitelberg and Alameda Drug Company, Inc., David P. Lampkin, Los Angeles, R. Clayton Seaman, Jr., Jeralyn Keller, Pasadena, and Jonathan P. Milberg, for California Appellate Defense Counsel as Amici Curiae., Lynn S. Carman, for Frederick S. Mayer as Amicus Curiae.


• For Appellees:
  
•  Law Offices of Richard I. Fine & Associates, Richard I. Fine, Beverly Hills, Jeremy W. Faith, Los Angeles, Genalin Sulat, Carmela Tan, Los Angeles, Cheri M. Vu;  Jonathan M. Coupal, Sacramento, and Trevor A. Grimm, Los Angeles, for Plaintiff and Appellant and for Plaintiffs and Respondents., Daniel E. Lungren and Bill Lockyer, Attorneys General, Manuel M. Medeiros, State Solicitor General, Linda A. Cabatic and Andrea Lynn Hoch, Assistant Attorneys General, Louis R. Mauro, Acting Assistant Attorney General, Paul H. Dobson, Keith Yamanaka and Jennifer K. Rockwell, Deputy Attorneys General, for Defendant and Appellant and for Defendants and Respondents Gray Davis et al., Bion M. Gregory, Richard Thomson, Sacramento;  Eisen & Johnston Law Corporation and Marian M. Johnston, Sacramento, for Defendants and Respondents Bill Lockyer, Cruz M. Bustamante, Rob Hurtt and Curt Pringle.