Politics on the Hudson

   Senate Democrats announced today that they have added two more public hearings on Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to close the state’s $3 billion budget deficit. One of the hearings runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 29 at the Greenburgh Public Library in Elmsford, and the other is Nov. 2 in Buffalo.

   The Westchester hearing will focus largely on education and local governments.

   Paterson’s proposal to close the budget gap includes reducing education aid by $686 million through the end of the school year, cutting Medicaid by $287 million, and reducing spending on other health-care programs and mental hygiene by $184 million.

   The Senate previously announced public hearings in New York City and on Long Island.

   Paterson has not set a date for a special session to close the deficit, but he said today that it would be in the next week or two.