City, county release budgets

Mayor: Shared sacrifice needed

Saying Los Angeles is in its worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression, Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa proposed a 2009-10 budget that slashes spending and seeks concessions from unions to avoid 2,800 layoffs. Daily News

"The economy has translated into a $530 million deficit this year alone and could be $1 billion next year," Villaraigosa said at a City Hall news conference. "Today, I am submitting a budget ... that represents a blueprint to save jobs, keep our pensions intact and protect the city in the long term.
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County: More help for the needy
Los Angeles County officials said Monday the county's proposed $22.8 billion budget preserves critical services and is designed to help more people who have lost their jobs and homes. Troy Anderson in the Daily News.

Although the county faces a $300 million deficit, Chief Executive Officer Bill Fujioka said the budget includes funds to pay for a 25 percent increase in the number of people seeking the county's smallest welfarebenefit-$221-a-month General Relief checks. It also includes funds to provide 10,000 subsidized jobs in the public and private sectors.