Here’s how a Sacramento Bee story on Friday – click here – described the financial woes facing California cities:

“Of the 19 cities (surveyed) in the four counties, more than half already project budget shortfalls for the current fiscal year that will grow next year. Others are waiting until the end of this month – after the first property tax bills come due and sales tax figures come in – to acknowledge what others already suspect: The sky is falling.”

The danger for cities is that they will view this budget crisis like the ones that came before – that is, as shortfalls that can managed with short-term fixes.

This crisis will be different.

Can my hometown handle it? The jury’s still out. Here is my Sunday column.