That's been the case since 1978, when the property tax-cutting Proposition 13 was approved, the counties' stable funding source was thrown into disarray and the local governments became dependent creatures of the state.

But things may be changing.

Over the weekend, Democrats put together the first major county funding overhaul in years, which would shift much of the burden of the state's trial court system onto the state. Under current practice, the counties and cities pick up roughly two thirds of the cost of operating California's lower court system. Under the new $450 million proposal, the state would assume the responsibility for about two-thirds of the cost; locals would pick up the rest. Moreover, the state would pay for the cost of new growth in the court.

In effect, the proposal would allow local governments to use money that had been directed to the courts for other things, and there would be a greater local say-so over how the money is spent.

The plan would take the place of two other proposals pending in the Capitol -- the governor's original notion of providing $100 million annually, and a legislative version that expanded that amount to $280 million.

Senate President Pro Tem Bill Lockyer, D-Hayward, California's most powerful state Democrat, disclosed the bare outlines of the plan to reporters in his office. He cautioned that the plan needed the approval of Republican governor Pete Wilson, but he noted one critical fact: The proposal carries the endorsement of State Supreme Court Chief Justice Ronald George, the Judicial Council, the judges' lobby and other members of the judicial community.

The backing of the judiciary, which rarely intervenes in California's budget wars, gives the proposal a significiant boost. In addition, the GOP budget negotiators in both houses, while they have not formally announced support for the proposal, are said to be generally receptive to the idea.

If ultimately approved, the bulk of the new scheme would not take effect until July 1998. Lockyer said there was not enough money in state coffers to begin the program right away because of the need to immediately cover a court-ordered $1.36 billion payback of public pension funds that were raided to balance an earlier budget.

That payment has left little in the budget -- despite the surge in tax revenues stemming from a booming economy -- to cover anything else but education. The wrangle over this year's budget has delayed the spending plan more than a month, causing the second-longest impasse ever after 1992, when California was forced to issue IOUs for the first time since 1936.

But lawmakers like Lockyer are looking ahead to next year's budget, hoping that the economic upswing will continue and that new pockets of revenue will be available.

While all of our 1997 directories are still available, we're now taking orders for all of our 1998 publications. Contact us today to place your order! You can even order through our Web site using our secure server, at http://www.capenq.com/order.