Clock Ticking For Santa Clara County To Close Massive Budget Gap

SANTA CLARA (KCBS) - A lot of county employees in Silicon Valley faced the prospect of changing jobs in the near future, if not outright losing them. The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors had just two weeks to close a sizable budget gap.

Elected officials planned to hold budget hearings this week on how best to close a $219 million shortfall. All indications were that there would be a lot of job shuffling at the end of the month.

Board president Dave Cortese had already warned that the budget shortfall had the potential to impact as many as 500 employees.

"Of that, about 100 people are laid off completely," he warned. "A whole bunch of other people will have their status changed. It really means a demotion for them. And there are some people shuffled around laterally."

KCBS' Mike Colgan Reports:

(© 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)