The bankrupt California city of San Bernardino failed to pass an emergency budget plan yesterday after contentious fight over plans to terminate a number of firefighter positions, Reuters reported yesterday. The city of about 210,000, some 65 miles east of Los Angeles, filed for bankruptcy on Aug. 1, joining the Bay Area city of Stockton as a test case for whether financially troubled municipalities can shed bond payments and possibly pension obligations via bankruptcy court. San Bernardino, the third California city to seek bankruptcy protection, faces a $45.8 million budget deficit for the current fiscal year, plus an $18 million deficit from the previous year, according to city managers. A pre-bankruptcy budget by city managers, which would see $22.4 million in cuts and eliminate 100 full-time jobs, sparked heated exchanges at a City Council meeting yesterday. As part of the plan, which demands slashing the city's budget by 30 percent, 20 firefighter positions would be eliminated and three of its four fire stations would be temporarily closed, on a rolling basis, 10 days a month.
