but now he's experiencing firsthand what it's like to not get a paycheck. >> it pains me that i'm not going to get paid and bills start stacking up, and the mortgage is put on hold but that's like everybody else right now. >> reporter: mendoza is among 120 california lawmakers not getting paid this week because they failed to pass a balanced budget on time. so this husband and father of four will have to rely on his wife's teaching salary. >> we'll pay them if they complete their responsibility. >> reporter: the man who cuts california's paychecks, john chung, decided to implement a unique measure approved by california voters last november. the law, known as proposition 25, requires legislators to forfeit their own salary for each day that a budget is not passed beyond the june 15 deadline. for lawmakers making $95,000 a year, that means $261 will be withheld per day and lose a $142