Budget woes reshape city's future

More than any disaster the city has faced, the financial meltdown of the past year is serving to force Los Angeles to redefine itself and the services it provides. Daily News.

"I keep telling my friends that this year is awful and that next year and the next few years will be difficult," Councilman Greig Smith said. "And, I predict in five years people will not recognize the city of Los Angeles."

Faced with a $212 million - and growing - shortfall for the final four months of this fiscal year and another $400 million next year, the city has been reeling from one crisis to the next trying to find ways to balance its budget