Commentary
More and more California municipalities are creeping nearer to the fiscal cliff—the most recent casualty being the city of Santa Monica.
Having been involved in a Chapter 9 bankruptcy as an officer of California’s County of Orange, and watching neighboring cities, like San Bernardino, doing the same, one wonders why strapped cities don’t consider going down the disincorporating road, as it is potentially much cheaper to become a jurisdiction of their counties.
With California’s 483 cities, many at the brink of insolvency, it’s time to discuss why they should consider disincorporation and let the county in which they are located take over the necessary public safety and related civic functions….