Santa Ana

Cuts in Funding Protested: More than a dozen protesters marched in front of the county Hall of Administration on Tuesday protesting funding cuts in county programs for the mentally ill. Carol Schnitger of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Orange County said that because of budget problems the Orange County Health Care Agency has trimmed $1.1 million from programs for the mentally ill. Schnitger said the cuts will force the county to close a Garden Grove clinic, scrap a position that oversees care and cut education and training programs. She said that supervisors could use state money to restore the cuts when budget hearings begin next week but noted that other programs are also competing for those funds.