Southeast/Long Beach : BLUE HAWAII

It’s been touch-and-go lately, but city officials in Hawaiian Gardens say enough funds have been trickling into the city’s coffers to allow city employees to get paid this week. Still, they say the cash-strapped city must make strict budget cuts very soon to balance its $1.5-million deficit and avert near-disasters such as the one faced two weeks ago, when the general fund was so low that employees very nearly went unpaid.