Governor Schwarzenegger and the State Legislature are looking to take even more money from local governments this year (after taking controversial portions in 2009), but many Monterey Bay residents won’t stand for it. The state government, politically unable to raise taxes, feels it is out of options with California’s current budget deficit at about $20 billion dollars over the next 18 months. Trying to salvage valuable services, the Monterey Bay Division of the League of California Cities has announced a campaign to support a state-wide measure that would protect local services, and is shooting for it to be on ballots this November. They are currently gathering signatures and fear that any more cuts to local services would be disastrous for many institutions, including police, the fire department, and Transportation.
