" The ones that need help the most are always the ones that get left behind. Perhaps some of the funding that goes to illegals and their children should be spent here? "

" Yes, more transparency in every department is needed. I truly think that the cost of each service needs to be reviewed to see if it is overpriced at this point. When a dentist can charge $1000 for a crown then something needs to change. Price gouching in the medical area continues to happen even in this touch economy. Prices need to be cut across the board. "

" I have a friend that works for the Mental Health Dept in Vallejo, Solano Co mental health funds were cut off in the budget cuts, Napa Co due to the State Hospital (my guess) received all the funding. In a way it's good for Vallejo, guess where they are going to refer their mental health patients? Apparently for years Vallejo has been handling the "run off" there is even a St Helena Mental Health facility in Vallejo. With no funds available mental health patients will perhaps be refered back to Napa? Not good news in the mental health arena... "

" pique, not all dentists charge $1000 for a crown. If you're private paying, you can shop around and you can negogiate fees with the dentist. Fact is a cleaning or big filling takes as long (sometimes longer) but fees are much lower - in fact, high fee items like crowns subsidize the break-even procedures like cleanings. And don't expect change because this is how insurance companies' fee schedules are set and most dentist fee schedules are designed to maximize insurance reimbursement.
However, it's absolutely NO different than an insured hospital patient being charged high enough fees to cover both his care and the care of a non-paying, uninsured patient. "

" We have been hearing for months how the state budget cuts have caused the county and schools to cut millions of dollars out of programs that directly benefit our most vulnerable populations; kids, seniors, disabled, sick, and poor. Now our Health and Human Services agency has to cut $2.4 million deeper into those services.

I guess the State of California cut out all its non essential, non direct service agencies before it whacked these essential services, right? WRONG! I inquired with Senator Wiggins office and found that one State agency actually got a budget increase in the wake of all these serious service cuts. Was it public safety? Was it the environment? Was it Cal Trans?

The answer is that it was the California Housing and Community Development Department. You know, the agency that sits up in Sacramento and tells local communities how many more houses they must allow. It's the agency who administers the law that drives most of our land use decisions.

According to Logan Pitts of Wiggins' office, the State found $167,740 somewhere to give HCD a budget increase. Apparently, we don't have enough money to help mentally ill people get counseling that might save their life or the life of another, but, by-golly we can put more money into a "nanny" agency to tell us how we should grow.

Is anyone else troubled by this? "

" There is a newly appointed voice on board for smart growth and i believe she with EPA and DOT will have change on how we live so there will be corrections on what we have done to ourselves in planning our cities and counties, its just takes time. "

" Dan, I'm troubled by it. Thanks for looking into it.

Did you see this story?

http://www.sacbee.com/politics/v-print/story/2281287.html

"Two of the state's largest departments spent more than $5.5 million on new cars and trucks this year only to leave them idle and gathering dust for months."

Where are all those "education candidates"? "

" Steph, yes I did see that article and that is just as maddening! I am sure there are a dozen other stories just like these. Thank you for sharing it with the bloggers on this site.

What the heck is wrong with our legislators to allow this to happen? What is wrong with those Department heads and managers to make them think this is O.K.? California's 58 counties need to unite and quit playing nice with our state legislators. Where is the leadership? "

" monez, is this candidate for Supe Monez? "

" Steph- I hadn't seen that article and it infuriates me. Cal Trans needs an overhaul, especially after the Bay Bridge debacle. 20 years (4 more years of building BTW) after Loma Prieta, fixing the Bay bridge will cost taxpayers 5.49 Billion Dollars. This was supposed to cost Taxpayers 760 Million, even if you factor in inflation that is an unacceptable figure.

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWFRYpFw7m.Q

I'm sorry, but where is the accountability here? And government wants to take over my medical care? "

" danmonez, yes I am quite troubled by it. We need leadership and we need our elected officials to take on the challenges of confronting the State. It's as though the voices of the People are no longer valued. We also need to watch, like a hawk, developers who are hijacking our political system.

Just be very, very careful about implying any type of loyalty to anyone in this race. These developers are turning into, as some posters have suggested, community terrorists. The State is not the only problem we're dealing with. "

" Vocal-de-vocal, you said "We also need to watch like a hawk, developers who are hijacking our political system."

Developers and the big machine are supporting the slate of candidates for ocal elections the developers are supporting Monez, Haley and Huether.

Voters BEWARE WATCH LIKE A HAWK! "