Sacramento County elected officials approved a budget Thursday that could result in more than 200 employee layoffs, according to county budget officer Tom Burkart. These layoffs for the 2011/2012 fiscal year are in addition to the 1,299 layoffs the county has made since the 2008/2009 fiscal year, said county spokeswoman Chris Andis. She added that 1,299 people were actually laid off as opposed to job positions being cut. The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors balanced its budget for the 2011/2012 fiscal year on Thursday afternoon, closing out a $90 million shortfall. The county has a general fund of $1.9 billion and a total budget of roughly $3.5 billion. The approved budget is a f

A Sacramento County commission that provides funding for local children’s services suffered severe cuts earlier this month. The First 5 Sacramento Commission cut $43.7 million from its budget May 2. The cuts were ordered by the state, which is using funding from First 5 programs to pay for Medi-Cal children’s services. The local First 5 cuts reduced funding for a county program that assists women with breast-feeding and for a program at nine school districts that helps young children transition into school, according to Toni Moore, executive director of the First 5 Sacramento Commission. Sacramento County Public Health Officer Dr. Glennah Trochet said the cuts were painful. “We are a v

Mayor Kevin Johnson told media outlets earlier this week that possible layoffs of state workers may harm the city’s economy. Layoffs for about 5,000 state workers have been proposed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger to address the state’s $24.3 billion deficit. Local governments throughout the state may be impacted by state budget cuts, Johnson said. But because many Sacramento residents are state workers, the city faces “a double whammy.” Sacramento is “very uniquely positioned as a state capital city to get hit twice,” Johnson said Tuesday. Johnson went on to say that if these workers are laid off, they may not be able to make their mortgage payments. In turn, these residents may foreclos

Local businesses will suffer from the state’s proposed budget cuts because they serve tourists who visit state landmarks in Sacramento, Mayor Kevin Johnson said Friday. Johnson raised concerns about possible harm to Sacramento businesses if the state moves forward with recent proposals to shutter state parks, including Sutter’s Fort State Historic Park. The state is facing a $24.3 billion budget deficit. For its part, the city is trying to tie up a $50 million deficit for the 2009/2010 deficit. State parks like Sutter’s Fort and the California Indian Museum & Cultural Center bring visitors to the city of Sacramento, Johnson said. “When these parks are closed, it impacts tourism in our ci