O.C. Budget Plan Threatens Some Health Programs

Massive cutbacks could mean the end of some health programs in Orange County and the elimination of 270 staff positions under a set of budget proposals unveiled Tuesday by cash-strapped county officials.

“There are going to be a lot of people unhappy about this,” conceded Roger R. Stanton, chairman of the Board of Supervisors. “But the fact is, nobody’s going to be spared in this belt-tightening.”

While the $82.5 million in proposed cuts may be felt throughout the county government, mental health services and other health programs could be hit hardest, officials said. One Garden Grove clinic serving 1,500 mentally ill people is already slated for closure, and many other programs are threatened.

“These are some very painful shortages,” said LaVern Fitzpatrick, chairwoman of the Orange County Mental Health Advisory Board. “I wake up at night and worry about it, and it doesn’t do any good, of course, because I don’t know where that money can come from. I fear for the people who need care and will be turned away.”

Under the budget proposals, county health care services would lose 11.6% of their base budget, or $5.9 million, while community services such as child-abuse programs and the county’s share of welfare operations would lose $6 million, or 7% of the base budget.

In comparison, funds for law enforcement, courts and other areas of public safety would be cut by $4.1 million, or only 1.8%.

County Administrator Ernie Schneider said mental health care and other social services fell victim to tightened priorities, ranking below other pressing needs.

“The highest priority was given to criminal justice--the district attorney’s office, the sheriff, etc.--because that seemed to be the public sentiment,” Schneider said. “The public wants to be safe.”

County staff members delivered their proposals for balancing the half-billion-dollar budget to supervisors Tuesday afternoon. The package, due for debate next Tuesday before the board, is aimed at offsetting a projected shortfall that had climbed as high as $108 million for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1. The supervisors expect to finish the budget June 30.

County officials describe this as the worst budget season in memory. The financial crunch has been spurred by the ongoing recession, a continued drop in state aid and a decrease in property taxes and other local revenue because more areas have become incorporated as cities, officials say.

While the county budget as a whole totals more than $3 billion, local officials have broad discretion in spending only about a seventh of that, coming from their general fund. The county administrative office is proposing that $488 million be spent this fiscal year--virtually the same as last year.

Cuts will come in all areas of county government, officials said.

Many cost-savings measures are likely in areas that the public will never see.

For instance, the single biggest saving, of nearly $23 million, will come by reducing the retirement pension reserve for the county’s 17,100 employees, thus saving the county millions each year in the amount it pays to this fund, said county budget director Ronald S. Rubino. Agreement has already been reached with the county retirement board over this issue.

In addition, officials hope to cut hundreds of thousands of dollars through such measures as increasing caseloads for employees, reducing pens and paper and other supplies in offices, and cutting or eliminating travel allocations.

Tuesday’s budget package also proposes the elimination of about 270 staff positions, ranging from office supervisors and lawyers to painters and clerical staff. But many of these positions are already vacant because of an ongoing hiring freeze, and officials say they don’t know how many employees may actually be laid off as a result of the budget cuts.

“Hopefully, the number of people out the door will be minimal,” Schneider said.

The budget proposals could have some dramatic impacts on the public as well, directly affecting thousands of people who rely on county services every day. Among the measures proposed Tuesday:

* Slash the county’s contribution of $55,000 to the local Cooperative Extension, which relies on funds from the University of California system, private donors and the county to provide educational and informational services on agriculture and other issues for adults and children. It served 37,000 people last year, including many in the 4-H youth program.

* End the county’s two-decade operation of facilitating public adoptions out of its Orange office and return the service to the state. This could save the county up to half a million dollars a year. The county also wants to transfer oversight of its armory shelter to a private “community provider” at an annual savings of $69,000, according to the budget plan.

* Close down the Garden Grove Adult Mental Health Clinic at a savings of about $336,000 annually. The clinic, serving 1,500 mentally ill people, is one of nine in the county. Officials hope to transfer those who use the clinic to other sites, but Fitzpatrick of the mental health board said: “A lot of these people get lost when they don’t have services where they expect them.”

In addition, the budget proposals would mean severe cutbacks in about 10 other mental health programs, including a 75% reduction in a homeless outreach program and other cuts in adult-treatment services in Santa Ana, Costa Mesa and Anaheim.

“It’s going to be pretty grim,” said Timothy J. Mullins, director of the county’s mental health services.

“The cuts are deep,” he said. “We had a bare-bone program to begin with, and now we’ll be doing things on an emergency basis, instead of a planned, thoughtful response for caring for the mentally ill. This pushes us to the wall.”

Health Care Agency Director Tom Uram described the mental health cuts--as well as other proposed funding reductions for the care of indigent patients at local hospitals--as Draconian.

Uram said he sought more funding for these programs in submitting his requests to the county administrative office. “I put them in, and I was told I had to take them out,” Uram said.

Even some of those who have come out relative winners in the budget process so far said they feel squeezed.

Dist. Atty. Michael R. Capizzi said the proposals allow him to add several much-needed positions in family support services, but he will still have to leave unfilled up to a dozen criminal prosecutors’ slots.

There were some glimmers of optimism.

County officials had proposed a marked jump in a new fee that cities have begun paying for booking inmates at the county jail--from $154 to $186. But the budget-makers managed to get by with a proposed increase of only a few dollars instead, Rubino said.

“That’s definitely good news,” said William Hodge, executive director of the Orange County branch of the League of California Cities. “That would have been a very big worry.”

Even so, county officials say they still may have to make up more funding gaps depending on how state legislators decide to solve their own budget crisis, probably in summer or early fall.

With an eye toward fiscal troubles out of Sacramento, county officials began the budget process here months ahead of schedule and said they used low-ball estimates on funds they will get from the state. But officials said they are still worried about how those levels will play out.

“Given the dire straits of the state’s budget, it’s anyone’s guess at this point,” said Supervisor Gaddi H. Vasquez.

WILSON’S TARGETS: Cuts would slash programs for the poor and AIDS patients. A3

County Targets Service Cuts

The county administrative officer has recommended $82.5 million in cuts to the $511-million general fund budget for fiscal year 1992-93. Included in that proposal are $23 million in cuts to departments that serve the public directly. Cuts are outlined below.

Base Budget County Service Projections Proposed Cut % Cut Public protection $233,118,413 $4,152,230 1.8 Health services 50,324,744 5,859,194 11.6 Community and social services 86,075,235 6,032,501 7.0 Environmental management 4,244,673 841,987 19.8 General government and services 92,527,095 5,733,808 6.2 Capital improvements 11,666,411 0 0.0 Debt service and insurance, 33,911,307 528,159 1.6 reserves and miscellaneous

Source: Orange County director of management and budget