County Uneasy Over Cuts in State Budget

As the state budget stalemate enters its fourth week, Ventura County officials remain worried that last-minute cuts could affect services from health care to law enforcement to tax collection.

County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston is expected to ask the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday to join other members of the Urban Counties Caucus in signing a letter urging state Assembly members to end the deadlock, so that counties know where their finances stand.

“Counties may be at risk of bearing the brunt of this standoff between Republicans who insist on ‘no new taxes’ and Democrats who warn that failure to include increased revenue as part of the package would jeopardize local government revenues and place numerous programs at risk,” Johnston wrote Friday in a memo to supervisors.

The state Senate approved a $99-billion spending plan June 29, in time for the new fiscal year, which began July 1.

The Assembly has stalled on the issue, however, with Republicans holding out over $4 billion in new taxes and fees that Democrats are proposing to help close a $23.6-billion shortfall.

Because the state helps fund many local programs, the outcome of the debate in Sacramento is sure to affect services in Ventura County. Johnston and his staff have said the county stands to lose as much as $26 million, at a time when the county has already made $17.6 million in cuts to balance its $1.2-billion budget.

Supervisor Judy Mikels said she appreciates the desire shown by fellow Republicans to keep taxes at bay, but thinks election-year politics are obscuring a bleak financial reality.

“The reality is, this may not be the year for that battle,” Mikels said. “If this is a year we have to raise taxes to provide basic human services, just get over it and do it. It’s time to swallow the fur balls and move on.”

The county’s Health Care Agency, which relies heavily on state and federal money, could be the hardest hit. The agency has anticipated that state reductions, added to local cuts, could bring its shortfall to as much as $19 million. That could mean scaled-back psychiatric services and clinic closures.

Health Care Agency Director Pierre Durand is expected to present supervisors with a more detailed prediction of service cuts at Tuesday’s meeting.

“We have to assess how we can soften this, and we’re working on that right now,” Johnston said. “That will help determine whether we’re talking about closing this or that office or clinic or just scaling back hours. It’s hugely complicated. But we know there have got to be some reductions.”