Berkeley, CA – Assemblywoman Loni Hancock (D-Berkeley) will host a Town Hall Meeting on California's Budget Crisis and its impacts on local Communities this Saturday, May 8, 10:00 a.m. to noon at Rosa Parks Environmental Magnet School, 920 Allston Way in Berkeley.

Current estimates indicate that California faces a $17 billion budget gap; $15 billion of this amount represents an on-going structural deficit or gap between the cost of providing the current level of public services and the revenues brought in by the state's tax system. While Governor Schwarzenegger 's January Proposed Budget contains $16.2 billion of his administrations' remedies to the ongoing budget gap, it relies on borrowing, spending reductions, cost shifts to local governments, and transfers, but no new taxes to bridge the gap.

This Town Hall Meeting will be an important opportunity to examine the effects of the current budget proposals on state and local programs and what steps California will have to take to prepare for future years. "The choices we make now will effect our State's future for decades to come." said Assemblywoman Hancock. "The decisions we make about the budget determine the quality of our public schools, the flow of traffic on our roads, the protection of our air, water and public safety, and our ability to provide a safety net for our low-income residents."

The Town Hall Meeting will feature presentations from a panel of state and local experts, including Jean M. Ross, Executive Director of the California Budget Project. Following the presentations, community members will be invited to give public comment and share their recommendations and solutions.