Three weeks after Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger proposed his share-the-pain budget for the coming year, California's largest county put a price tag Monday on its portion of the burden: a $459-million loss that could trigger more than 4,600 layoffs.
If approved by the state Legislature, the budget would rip substantial holes through Los Angeles County government. The Sheriff's Department stands to lose $108 million, about 6% of its budget, while the Department of Parks and Recreation would lose about $24 million.
For the first time, most of the county's 37 departments released detailed accounts showing where the program cuts might be made come July, when the final state budget is due.
Among the possible effects: The county might close parts of its five jails and release all inmates convicted of misdemeanors.
Sheriff Lee Baca could be forced to eliminate anti-gang programs, suspend search-and-rescue operations, slash homeland security and cut the number of patrol cars in unincorporated areas.
The district attorney's office, which faces a $25-million cut, said it would eliminate divisions that specialize in prosecuting family violence, sex crimes, major fraud and organized crime. The county coroner predicted a "severe reduction" in its ability to promptly perform autopsies and recover bodies from hospitals, homes and public places.
Lifeguard patrols would be trimmed by 30% at county-run beaches -- which constitute 31 miles of coastline visited by more than 18 million people each year. Since staffing "is already at a bare minimum, this curtailment may result in very large areas of unguarded beaches," said an official of the Fire Department, which oversees lifeguards.
David Janssen, the county's top budget officer, said he would not recommend program cuts or layoffs until at least May, when the governor revises his budget. But he warned that after two years of belt-tightening, Los Angeles County doesn't have much fat left to trim.
"It's a serious problem," said Janssen, who will present the budget report to the Board of Supervisors today. "Our departments have already made pretty significant reductions, and we've already used most of our undesignated reserves. We're already at zero salary increases for our employees."
As departments trim programs to save money, they would also lay off workers. The Probation Department said it expected to dismiss 1,693 people, and the Sheriff's Department said it would lay off 1,314 people under the state's budget proposal.
