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Contra Costa Top Officials Take Pay Cut To Close Budget Gap

MARTINEZ (KCBS) – Top county officials in Contra Costa have joined other employees in having their salaries and benefits cut to help in closing a projected budget deficit of nearly $46 million.

Members of the county management union have agreed to a reduction in pay and benefits, and County Administrator David Twa said that all unrepresented employees will follow the same course of action.

"There are about 300 of us who are unrepresented," said Twa. "So that approximate five percent reduction in salary and benefits is an additional $2.6 million."

KCBS' Dave Padilla Reports:

Twa said that combined savings of the Local 21 and unrepresented county employees still won't be enough to solve an estimated $46 million budget problem for 2011-2012.

"We've basically said to the unions that we need this reduction," said Twa. "And if we get this reduction for all of our bargaining units it would amount to about a $32 million reduction."

He said that even more cuts will have to be made to fully close the budget gap.

(Copyright 2011 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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