County Lobbies to Stem Cuts in State Funding

San Diego County officials, bracing for state budget cuts that could cost them as much as $163 million, Friday launched a campaign to reverse the Legislature’s drive to balance its books with local government revenue.

Chief Administrative Officer David Janssen and Intergovernmental Affairs Director John Sweeten told reporters that, although deep cuts being debated in Sacramento could cost the county at least $47 million, school funding would not be touched.

“They really are making a policy decision in favor of education and against counties and cities,” Janssen said.

According to the county’s latest information, budget cuts aimed at halving the state’s projected $11-billion shortfall for fiscal 1992-93 will cost the county about $30 million in property taxes, $7 million in trial court funding and a minimum of $10 million in money for health and social services programs.

The city of San Diego has estimated that the cuts could cost it $52 million.

But Janssen estimated that the county could actually be on the hook for another $115 million in health costs because huge cutbacks in state health programs could shift indigents onto the county’s already overburdened medical services program.

The expected cuts could place 66,000 more people onto the County Medical Services program, which now serves 23,000 clients with a $41-million budget. But, because the state requires the county to serve the medically indigent population, the county might be sued to provide the service, Janssen and Sweeten said. The same thing might happen with indigents seeking General Relief welfare payments, they said.

The county is pressing for major government reform to accompany the cutbacks, including the end of such state government mandates, elimination of expensive workers’ compensation claims such as stress disabilities, and a one-year moratorium on all state regulations, Janssen said.

“If they do this without giving us the flexibility (to adapt), it’s all over,” Janssen said.

County officials will be lobbying in Sacramento on Monday in hopes of stemming expected damage to the budget.