California Insider

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Sacramento Bee Columnist Daniel Weintraub

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June 29, 2004

The story behind the story

In what will likely be a string of such stories around the state, the Chronicle today reports on the adoption of the budget for Contra Costa County, where supervisors are warning about deep cuts in health and social service programs in the year ahead.

Excerpt:

The budget cuts a variety of health and social services and could affect everything from how many drug addicts can get into county rehabilitation centers to how quickly the mentally ill see a doctor. Smaller programs, such as one that provides free bicycle helmets to 1,400 poor children, face elimination.

What the story doesn't report is that the general fund cost of employee salaries and benefits in that county has grown by 25 percent in the past three years, from $466 million in 01-02 to $586 million for 04-05. Salaries and benefits as a share of the county's budget, meanwhile, have grown from 38 percent to 53 percent. Much of that has to do with Contra Costa's increasing pension costs, which are a leading indicator for the rest of the state. The numbers for Contra Costa County can be found in this budget document.