More than 200,000 Californian employees were forced to take an unpaid day off on Friday as part of a cash-saving effort by Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger amid California's mounting budget problems.

Meanwhile, scores of state offices, which included all Department of Motor Vehicles, were closed in response to California's deepening fiscal crisis, state official said.

Other offices affected include Worker's Cmpensation office, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the public transportation facility CalTrans and the state Environmental Protection Agency.

Despite the mandatory furloughs, some offices will remain open including courts, state unemployment offices, the California Public Utilities Commission and all government administrative offices.

Due to an impasse over how to balance the state's budget with Democrat-dominated legislature, Schwarzenegger, a Republican, has declared a fiscal state of emergency, enabling him to order the furloughs.

Under his recent order, the nonessential state office will be closed on the first and third Friday of each month to help reduce California's US$42 billion budget shortfall.

Schwarzenegger's office estimates that this will save US$1.4 billion through June 2010, the end of the next fiscal year.

All statewide elected officials except the governor have said they will not comply with the furlough order.

(Xinhua News Agency February 7, 2009)