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QUOTESfrom page 7 ............................................... Republicans to sue if vehicle license fees are increased, talks continued Thursday on a variety of plans to try to resolve the state's projected $38 billion deficit for this coming year with no immedi- ate resolution in sight." The San Jose Mercury News, 6121/03, "Dreary' Budget Work Near End. "Near the end of their first week of hearings on the 2003 -04 budget, Santa Cruz County supervisors were willing to admit they weren't having any fun." Riverside Press Enterprise, 6121/03, Treat- ment Centers Brace for Big Cut. "Treatment centers that have expanded to accommodate the flow of drug offenders under Prop. 36 are now laying off counselors, halting admissions and drawing up long waiting lists." Sacramento Bee, 6/21/03, Safety-net Services Hit Hard in County Budget. "Facing a record fiscal crisis, Sacramento County supervisors approved a budget Friday that tears into the foundation of basic public protection and safety net programs while leaving others on shaky ground." Sacramento Bee, 6/21/03, Cost to License Vehicles Soars. "Declaring that California is running on fiscal fumes, state finance officials "pulled the trigger" Friday to raise the vehicle license fee for at least a year to ease a staggering budget deficit." The Stockton Record, 6/21/03, Vehicle Fees to Triple. "The governor's top financial appointee moved to triple the car tax Friday to fill the state's empty coffers, triggering challenges by Republicans to overturn the hike." San Diego Union Tribune, 6/21/03, State Drivers' Vehicle Fees Will be Tripled Starting Oct. 1. "Gov. Gray Davis' administration yesterday used a 5- year -old law to triple the annual vehicle license fee, which will cost motorists an average of $158 and raise $4 billion a year for the cash - short state." PAGE 8 /PRIORITY FOCUS The Ventura County Star, 6/21/03, Oppo- nents of Car -Tax Boost Fire Back After Trig- ger Pulled. "Declaring the state broke, Finance Director Steve Peace on Friday triggered a tax increase that will triple the fees motorists pay each year to register their cars. The higher fees will take effect for all vehicles on which the current registration expires after Sept. 30." The San Jose Mercury News, 6/21/03, Opponents Pounce on Auto Tax Increase. "State officials Friday authorized tripling the ve- hicle- license fee that 26 million Californians pay each year, a move that will free up $4 billion for the state's huge budget deficit." The Contra Costa Times, 6/21/03, Vehicle Fees Will Surge by Summer. "California drivers will pay two- thirds more to register their vehicles starting this summer after the state announced Friday it had run out of cash." The Fresno Bee, 6/23/03, Fresno County Tackles Budget. "Fresno County supervisors will start deliberating today on a budget that forces them to weigh the values of social workers, Prosecutors and probation officers and inevitably will lead to smaller county government." Riverside Press Enterprise, 6/23/03, Libraries Suffer in Budget Crisis. "Gov. Davis' budget calls for San Bernardino's libraries to receive at least $195,000 less from Sacramento in the coming fiscal year, said the director of the city's four public library branches. That number repre- sents the system's entire book - buying budget, which already has shrunk over the past 10 years while the number of registered borrowers has grown by 18,000 to just under 200,000." San Francisco Chronicle, 6/25103, Budget -Cut Reality Hitting Home in S.F. "For months, San Francisco City Hall's glum budget predictions were in the abstract, detailed in writing as part of Mayor Willie Brown's $4.9 billion spending plan, discussed during hours of public hearings. But come Monday, they will be real, as dozens of programs that have relied on city funding are set to shut their doors or pare back their services significantly." Continued on Page 9 Visit the League's Official Web Site -- www.cacities.org