LOS ALAMITOS : Resolution Protests State’s Budget Plan

The city government has joined the chorus of California cities urging the state to balance the state budget without “raiding the treasuries of local governments and special districts.”

The City Council, responding to a request from the city of Buena Park, passed a resolution Monday protesting the anticipated state plan to take property taxes away from cities to help balance the state’s 1993-94 budget.

“We’re putting on the gloves and fighting,” Mayor Ronald Bates said. “We just can’t go up (into) the ring and fall down like we did last year.”

The Buena Park City Council passed a resolution on Feb. 1, protesting the state cutbacks. Since then, that council has requested that other local governments adopt similar resolutions and send them to Sacramento.

The League of California Cities, of which Los Alamitos is a member, is coordinating the lobbying effort in the state capital.

On Friday, the Fountain Valley City Council will host a meeting between Assemblywoman Doris Allen (R-Cypress) and representatives from Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, Buena Park, La Palma, Cypress, Stanton, Los Alamitos, Seal Beach, Westminster, Santa Ana and Anaheim on the subject of state budget cuts.

The meeting will give cities in the 67th Assembly District the chance to discuss with Allen the impact of lost property taxes and redevelopment funds. The meeting is scheduled to start at 10 a.m., according to Fountain Valley City Manager Ray Kromer.

Los Alamitos City Manager Robert C. Dunek said the city lost $110,000 in property taxes last year. In addition, the city lost $15,000 in cigarette taxes and $2,000 in trailer coach fees.

Since fiscal year 1990-91, Dunek said, the city has been steadily losing revenues from such traditional sources as court fines and forfeitures while the city has incurred additional expenses such as booking fees.

This has resulted in reduced city services, including fire and police, Dunek said. He said the city expects to lose about $110,000 again for the 1993-94 fiscal year.