County Facing More Cutbacks in Services

Los Angeles County, which already is seeking deep cuts in its mental health programs, must reduce other county services by $40.3 million as a result of final legislative budget action, the county’s top financial officer said Friday.

In a letter to county supervisors, Chief Administrative Officer Richard B. Dixon told board members that “very preliminary” estimates indicate that the new cuts are needed to help avoid a budget deficit of $100.7 million.

Dixon did not specify which county programs are now threatened, but a county source said they could include such “sacred cows” as the Sheriff’s Department, Fire Department and the court system.

Any fiscal adjustments must be approved by the Board of Supervisors. Dixon said Friday he will recommend to the board that it exempt mental health programs and health services from further planned trimming.

“You will see cuts in the vast majority of other departments,” Dixon said. “You will not see an even distribution of cuts. They will vary from department to department.”

The county’s latest fiscal dilemma comes after the Legislature ended its session in the early morning hours Thursday and approved a $430-million budget restoration bill.

The package failed to fully bail out the county in the areas where it had hoped for state relief, including maintaining trial courts. Los Angeles County had been seeking $135.3 million in trial court funding but received less than half that amount. Local officials also lost out on a $13-million block grant that they had been counting on.

The county did receive $5 million for health care and another $1.7 million for mental health, but the latter amount is far less than the $17.1 million needed to avert the planned closing of mental health outpatient clinics.

Court Injunction

A preliminary court injunction issued last Monday has so far prevented the county from closing clinics. But county lawyers are hoping to overturn that court order.

In the meantime, Dixon said the county will face a $100.7-million budget deficit unless the remaining $15.4 million in mental health cuts are allowed, $4 million in planned cuts in children’s services are accomplished and the $40.3 million in cuts in other departments are made.

Also needed to wipe out the deficit is $41 million in new tobacco tax revenues, but that depends on whether a state initiative on the November ballot passes. If it fails, Dixon said the county will be looking at more “massive cuts” in its health programs.