Bureaucrats, start your scrambling.

It is late May, and the June 30 end of the fiscal year is close at hand. So get ready for the traditional last-minute mad dash by every bureaucrat in town to clear his or her desk. The challenge is simple: Spend government money or lose it.

Budget hearings for the next fiscal year are scheduled for June 15 and 16 at the Orange County Board of Supervisors. And with primary elections on June 8, this Tuesday marks the last chance for department directors to get their contracts in front of county supervisors for this fiscal year.

The result is an unusually packed supervisors’ agenda this week. I counted 118 items. Cities throughout Orange County can expect the same kind of jam session.

— NORBERTO SANTANA, JR.

Since you've made it this far,

You are obviously connected to your community and value good journalism. As an independent and local nonprofit, our news is accessible to all, regardless of what they can afford. Our newsroom centers on Orange County’s civic and cultural life, not ad-driven clickbait. Our reporters hold powerful interests accountable to protect your quality of life. But it’s not free to produce. It depends on donors like you.

Join the conversation: In lieu of comments, we encourage readers to engage with us across a variety of mediums. Join our Facebook discussion. Message us via our website or staff page. Send us a secure tip. Share your thoughts in a community opinion piece.