COUNTYWIDE : Board to Weigh Proposed State Cuts

Stung by proposed cutbacks in state aid at a time when they are already grappling with their own budget woes, Orange County supervisors are expected to adopt a resolution Tuesday decrying the state rollbacks.

The cuts, outlined in Gov. George Deukmejian’s proposed Department of Health Services’ budget for next year, “would not only eliminate essential support for local indigent care, it would strike a devastating blow to needed public health services,” according to a resolution that the supervisors will consider at their Tuesday meeting.

Similar resolutions are being considered by counties across the state as part of a widespread lobbying effort to force reconsideration of the governor’s proposed budget. That budget, which still must be reviewed by the state Legislature, includes $173 million in cuts to health-care programs.

If adopted, the Orange County resolution will be forwarded to the Sacramento-based County Supervisors Assn. of California to aid in the lobbying campaign.

The state’s proposed cuts are contributing to an already-jittery budget season in Orange County. Ron Rubino, associate county administrative officer for management and budget, will be meeting this week with county department heads and advising them to trim budget requests for next year by about 5%, since requests have exceeded anticipated revenues by about that much.

The 5% figure is better than some earlier estimates since it places the anticipated shortfall at about $12 million, as compared to estimates of as much as $25 million. But the new predictions depend on state funding staying constant, and many officials concede that that may be difficult to count on.