6110     PREFACE 
(New 2/98)

The budget process for California defies a simple concise definition.  It is a process rather than a product.  It is not the development of the Governor's Budget, the Legislature's enactment of a budget nor the executive branch's administration of the budget.  Rather, it is the combination of all of these phases with all the ramifications and influences of political interactions, relationships with federal and local governments, public input, natural events, legal issues, the economy, initiatives and legislation, etc.

Although the size and complexity of California and the dynamics of the process make it difficult to establish and maintain an orderly process, these very reasons necessitate an orderly formalized process.  The following sections summarize the major steps and procedures of California's budget process.