The fate of California's record budget standoff is up to one man now. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger must decide, with a stroke of his pen, whether to sign a budget deal passed early today by the Legislature - and he has threatened a veto. A marathon session of the Legislature ended at 2:30 a.m. with the proposed compromise receiving the necessary two-thirds majority to pass the Assembly, 61-1, and the Senate, 28-12. The Governor has stated he may ’veto’ the budget, but his veto can be overruled with a return two-thirds vote in the legislative body. Sacramento Bee

Last month, Rachel Bird exchanged vows with Gideon Codding in a church wedding in front of family and friends. As far as Bird is concerned, she is a bride. To the state of California, however, she is either "Party A" or "Party B." Sacramento Bee So, you can’t ‘write-in’ “bride” and “groom” onto your own marriage parchment? Give me a break, this is not about equality, this is about intolerance.

In what he calls his past life, the Rev. Geoffrey Horton worked at a Bloomington-Normal insurance company, coached a women’s softball team, owned a home and invested in a 401K. Although life was good, Horton, 43, felt something was missing. In May, he found his calling as a newly ordained Roman Catholic priest. “I became a priest for the only reason anyone should ever become a priest, because I felt that’s what God was asking of me,” said Horton, currently assigned at a church in Peoria. Pantagraph News

A California-based legal defense organization has expressed outrage that one of the nation's largest natural gas and electric utility companies has donated $250,000 to squash the state's voter-led drive to constitutionally define marriage as between one man and one woman, known as Proposition 8. The Pacific Justice Institute , which specializes in the defense of religious freedom and civil liberties , has filed a complaint against Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E), which provides utilities to approximately 15 million Californians. World Net News This is not a boycott, but ‘opting out of the natural gas delivered through PG&E, exchanging the delivery for Tiger Natural Gas. See the article for a website that explains your rights as a California resident.

The Obama campaign is preparing rolling out a new line of “faith merchandise” – the latest move in an ambitious effort to win over religious voters. “Check out the Believers for Barack, Pro-Family Pro-Obama, and Catholics for Obama buttons, bumper stickers and signs….” says Obama Deputy Director of Religious Affairs Paul Monteiro in an e-mail obtained by the Beliefnet Web site. CNN Political Ticker

"Jesus Christ was a community organizer. Pontius Pilate was a governor . Democrats incensed at Sarah Palin's Republican National Convention speech in which she poked fun at Barack Obama's career experience as a "community organizer" in Chicago. Democratic presidential campaign manager Donna Brazile was the first major Democratic figure to use it publicly, followed by Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn, in a speech on the House floor last Wednesday. Is there any truth to this phrase? If we believe this to be true, then why do we elect politicians in the first place? Where do we get experience? World Net News

Don’t look to a political leader to deliver needed change in America, but look at yourself as part of the Church to transform society, said an evangelical pastor Saturday at the Values Voter Summit. Bishop Harry Jackson, senior pastor of the 3,000-member Hope Christian Church in the Washington, D.C area and founder and chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition, told the crowd of social conservative voters that he believes America is at a very important moment in its history with both major presidential candidates vowing change if elected. How are we individually bringing “change” to our community and marketplace? Great question and a solid topic for discussion. Christian Post

The Australian pentecostal preacher who faked cancer to hide his long-standing addiction to porn will unlikely face legal charges for soliciting donations under the false cause.

According to The Adelaide Advertiser, South Australian police are finalizing investigations without making any charges against Michael Guglielmucci, who admitted his colossal deception on a Australian news channel last month. Friends of Guglielmucci had set up a now-defunct Facebook site, "Praying Together for Mike Guglielmucci cancer cause," asking for donations. The police has tracked the money but will stop short of pressing legal action since no one has yet to make formal complaints either to the South Australian police or the police interstate, the Australian paper reported. Christian Post

When Jessica Stollings learned on Facebook that John McCain had named Sarah Palin as his running mate, the 26-year-old from Bristol, Tenn., took the day off and picked up some campaign yard signs. Just like that, she went from "just a voter" to a McCain evangelist. The mood was darker on blogs and social networking sites that connect more center-left young evangelicals. There, McCain's choice has been greeted as a cynical political ploy, a depressing return to the culture wars and damaging to efforts to broaden the evangelical dialogue. Christian Post

Californians are thoroughly fed up with the state of affairs of the Golden State. And that isn't good news for the Legislature and Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Yet by an overwhelming margin, voters don't believe Schwarzenegger should be recalled from office. And that isn't good news for the state's powerful prison guards union. Sacramento Bee

Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner made official Monday what's been expected for months: He's formally exploring a run for governor in 2010. The state's top-ranked Republican after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, Poizner filed paperwork to open an exploratory committee to succeed the actor-turned-politician in 2010. Shane Goldmacher in the Sacramento Bee Mary Anne Ostrom in the San Jose Mercury