LOS ANGELES (CNS) - Los Angeles County Supervisor Michael Antonovich has
sent a letter to Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger requesting the immediate
declaration of an economic emergency for the state, it was reported today.
Antonovich noted at a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a new Health and
Wellness Center at the Antelope Valley Community Clinic last week that the
operators were presented with an IOU -- not a check -- from the state. The
clinic will serve 40,000 residents a year.
``Earlier this month, the state announced that it would withhold $2.9
billion in payments for local governments and school districts to pay the
state's operating expenses,' Antonovich wrote in his letter to Schwarzenegger.

``The failure of the state to pass a budget ... requires a declaration
of economic emergency for California. ... As California's unemployment rate
approaches 12.5 percent, with nearly 400,000 manufacturing jobs lost, and the
Central Valley's agricultural fields becoming wastelands, we need action.'
Antonovich asked Schwarzenegger to consider various reforms, including a
part-time legislature, an overhaul of the Civil Service system, and an end to
term limits.
``Every department and agency must be evaluated, waste eliminated and
programs and services prioritized. The state legislature's committee structure
also needs to be streamlined. Duplicative departments and programs must be
consolidated or eliminated.'
Antonovich also urged reform of the pension system.
``Roughly 80 cents of every government dollar in California goes to
employee compensation and benefits for state employees. Moreover, California is
saddled with $550 billion of retirement debt. Even greater cost increases are
coming due to unfunded promises and deceptive pension fund accounting that
understated liabilities and overstated future investment returns.
``This debt-to-revenue ratio coupled with the state's fiscal viability
has forced Standard & Poor's to downgrade California's bond rating -- already
one of the lowest among the states.'