Uncertain future for city, schools Uncertain future for city, schools (January 02, 2004)

After one of the strangest political years in California history, Mountain View government and school officials, like their counterparts elsewhere in the state, are entering 2004 with few certainties about the upcoming year.

The state's huge budget crisis and the unexpected replacement of Gov. Gray Davis with film star Arnold Schwarzenegger in a recall has left local leaders with only a few clues about what might happen to their budgets this year.

Much more will be known in March, when voters will decide if the state should borrow $15 billion by issuing bonds to ride out the huge budget deficit. But even if the bond issue passes, the delicate truce between the Republican Governor and Democrat-controlled Legislature could evaporate and scuttle any hope of easing the budget crisis.

And for the city, there is the possible loss of up to $6 million from the new Governor's decision to scrap the increase in the vehicle license fee approved by Gov. Davis. Local leaders say they have cut everywhere they can and see loss of the VLF funds as a direct threat to police and fire services, areas that so far have been mostly protected from budget cuts.

Local educators have reason to be even more wary as they peek into the new year. After losing nearly $3 million last year, and then falling just a few hundred votes short of passing a stopgap parcel tax measure, school officials can only hope that the local legislative delegation can defend their budgets despite huge pressures from the state's other pressing needs.

We suspect most educators would be happy if they had a clear idea by June or July about what they can expect from state coffers. After the intense trips to Sacramento last year to successfully defend their local property tax funding, school officials do not welcome a repeat performance.

The Mountain View-Whisman district is pinning its hopes on Measure J, the $1.6 million parcel tax that will cover some of the losses from last year. It will be a key March match-up between supporters of education and those opposed to higher property taxes. Also in the March election, Democrats will choose the likely winner of the State Senate race. The winner is likely to prevail in November due to the district's heavily Democratic edge. Assembly member Sally Lieber (D-Mountain View) is expected seek re-election in November, and so far, no one has come forward to oppose her in the March primary. Other decisions before voters in November include local elections for four city council seats, three seats on the Mountain View-Whisman school board and three on the El Camino Hospital board.

We can only hope that by this November's election day, the uncertainty of the state's budget crisis will be behind us and Mountain View city officials and local educators will have a much clearer picture about their funding priorities than they do today.

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