* We’ve talked about this story before, so here’s an update. From the Anchorage Daily News…

Donna Arduin is no longer in charge of the state budget for [Alaska] Gov. Mike Dunleavy’s administration, effective today.

Dunleavy’s chief of staff, Ben Stevens, announced the change in leadership in the state Office of Management and Budget in a Monday call with reporters. He said the decision was “made unanimously within the leadership of the governor’s office.”

* The governor apparently went into self-protection mode…

The massive cuts to Alaska’s budget that Arduin pushed earlier this year — affecting everything from a ferry service linking isolated coastal towns to the University of Alaska to Medicaid — prompted fierce backlash.

A recall effort targeting Dunleavy was announced shortly after he used his line-item veto to slash more than $400 million from the state’s budget, adding to hundreds of millions in earlier cuts approved by the legislature.

And though the governor eventually walked back some of the vetoed line items in August, the recall has gained steam.

As a buddy of mine noted this morning, people say they hate taxes but they really, really, really hate major budget cuts. Gov. Rauner’s tenure, of which Arduin was a part, made that pretty clear to Illinoisans. Now, Alaskans are learning the same lesson.

…Adding… As I explained in comments, the budget cuts were made so the governor could fulfill a campaign promise and increase the amount of annual oil royalty payments to individual Alaskans. So, Alaskans are actually furious that the governor was trying to give put more money in their own pockets by slashing state spending. Whew.

The only person who pulled this off and grew his popularity was former California Gov. Jerry Brown, who cut spending to the bone in order to build public support for additional revenues. Brown’s cuts weren’t an end in themselves like they were in Alaska. They were a means to an end. He is the best US governor of my lifetime by far.