Celtics win, West Covina's budget approved

As most of Los Angeles was busy watching the Lakers lose, me, along with about 60 other people, sat through the West Covina council meeting, where the city council approved the 2008-09 budget.

West Covina is facing a $2 million deficit, which is better than what they were initially facing: $7.9 million. Among the changes to close the deficit, other than 5 percent slashes of each department's budget, will include halting the broadcast of city council meetings on television and cutting back to a four-day work week.

Councilman Steve Herfert, however, said that even though this is the among one of the trimmest budgets he's seen during his 18 years on council, that West Covina is still a far cry away from the situation in Vallejo, the Northern California city that recently declared bankruptcy. West Covina still has about $37 million in its reserves, he said.