Dan Walters' Capitol Q&A

Question: With the projected state deficit now up to $14 billion, what will the effect of that be on next year's revenue for local cities in California?
-- Jon Kaufman, Berkeley

Answer: Cities, unlike counties, have relatively little stake in the state budget but it's possible that they will see some impact if there are severe state spending cuts. For instance, the state could reduce or eliminate its COPS program that provides money to law enforcement agencies. Counties, on the other hand, are heavily involved in state-financed health and welfare programs and could see a fairly large impact.
--Dan Walters