State faces possible deficit of $10 billion Governor calls for 10 percent spending cut blueprint Los Angeles Times SACRAMENTO Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger on Monday ordered all state departments to draft plans for deep spending cuts after receiving word that California's budget is plunging deeply into the red - largely because of the troubled housing market. State officials have warned the governor that the likely deficit for next year has jumped from a few billion dollars to as much as $10 billion, threatening to wipe out the progress Schwarzenegger has claimed in getting the state's accounts in order. In response, Schwarzenegger's finance department has ordered agency directors to formulate plans to cut budgets by 10 percent for the spending blueprint the governor will unveil in January, according to administration officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. That would mean substantial cuts in all state programs, including education, transportation and health care, the officials said. The news is a major setback for the governor's other policy initiatives. His proposals - to pass legislation this year that would bring health care to all Californians and address the state's water problems - already were faltering in the Legislature.