Deliberations start on county budget

Compared to the ongoing fiscal crises and political drama in Washington and Sacramento, the Los Angeles County budget deliberations scheduled for Monday, June 7 at 9:30 a.m. will be comparatively sedate. But that’s mainly because the single biggest impact–the potential loss of $1.25 billion in state funding recently outlined in Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger’s “May Revisions,” or roughly 5.4% of the County’s overall budget–has not yet been factored in, due to uncertainty over the Legislature’s response. County CEO William T Fujioka’s board letter outlines his recommended budget changes.

As a result, what’s before supervisors is a relatively modest package of tweaks and adjustments, incorporating updated revenue forecasts (some up, some down), and fewer proposed layoffs than initially envisioned, and reducing the county workforce by almost 2% below its 2007-08 peak. For details, see this request for appropriation adjustments.

The deliberations also present an opportunity for the supervisors to introduce their own specific spending proposals to augment those proposed by the CEO, which may address both global and local funding shortfalls and spending needs. Supervisors’ proposals often address issues raised in public testimony during the board’s earlier budget hearings.

Look for further county budget adjustments in September when the fiscal picture in Washington and Sacramento comes into sharper focus.

Posted 6/4/10