GOP candidate Meg Whitman says New Jersey governor’s tough budget approach is model for Calif.

Whitman: New Jersey approach is model for Calif.

LOS ANGELES — Republican gubernatorial candidate Meg Whitman says the budget-cutting and union-fighting tactics employed by New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie provide a perfect “roadmap” for her plans in California.

Christie, a rising star in the GOP, appeared with Whitman in Hollywood on Wednesday for a rally and fundraiser.

Christie defeated the Democratic incumbent, Jon Corzine, last November. He has won praise among Republicans for eliminating a deficit, taking on New Jersey’s powerful teachers unions and shaking up the Democratic-controlled Legislature.

Whitman says if she is elected in November, she will pursue a similar agenda. Like California, New Jersey is a Democratic-leaning state mired in financial trouble.

Christie told Whitman it won’t be easy, but he says voters are ready for the truth.