California voters made a loud statement this week when they denied Propositions 1A through 1E, telling the state to deal with it’s own money woes.

Now, city and county administrators are doing their best to prepare for even more extreme budget misery. The cuts cities will be forced to make soon will not only prove deep, but potentially very painful.

In a statement from the California State Association of Counties, officials expect that given the size of the state’s deficit, many counties will face drastic cuts across the board.

“These additional cuts will only exacerbate counties’ tenuous fiscal situations and have the potential to visit real harm on Californians,” in a statement from CSAC.


The Sacramento City Council projects a $30 million deficit in the 2010/2011 fiscal year, according to a Sacramento Press story by Kathleen Haley.

Oakland already faces a projected $83 million deficit in the 2009-10 fiscal year, so it will likely borrow money through short-term bonds, rather than make deep spending cuts or massive layoffs. The risk: the possibility the state won’t pay the money back. – The San Jose Mercury News.

The City of Oceanside City Council will cut $2.7 million from its operating budget for next year rather than dip into reserves. By using so-called “rainy day” reserves, the city sidestepped potential, unpopular cuts in police, fire, and library services, according to Lola Sherman in a San Diego Union-Tribune story.

City of San Jose officials say to add another $19 million to San Jose’s budget shortfall now that the budget measures have failed in the special election. “We’re going to have a lot of cuts in services all over the city. Every department’s being squeezed,” said Mayor Chuck Reed, according to KCBS news. 

Reducing employee salaries, eliminating hazardous-waste emergency capabilities and boosting recreation-activity fees are among budget-cutting options for the city of Visalia in the special-election failure of five statewide propositions Tuesday, according to the Visalia Times-Delta.

Santa Clarita now faces probable budget cuts. The state may borrow $2 million in property-tax revenue from the city and counties to offset its budget problems. Santa Clarita stands to loose $3 million of its $11 million in annual revenue, according to Josh Premako in a story with The Santa Clarita Valley Signal.