EDITORIAL UNFUNDED FAVORITISM STATE POLITICIANS TRY TO BUTT INTO LOCAL ISSUES AT TAXPAYER EXPENSE.

THE politicians in Sacramento might have a hard time making ends meet these days, but they seem to have no problem looking for ways to spend Los Angeles County taxpayers' money.

A number of state legislators apparently think that the handsome pension and workers' compensation packages already enjoyed by county employees aren't generous enough.

They propose adding more benefits to the packages, without, of course, providing the money to fund them. Coming up with the revenues to back Sacramento's generosity would be the responsibility of cash-starved Los Angeles County government and its taxpayers.

They dish out the gifts, you pay for them.

One bill would require the county to provide the same premium pension plan it gives to those who risk their lives on the job - like sheriff's deputies and firefighters - to a slew of less heroic employees, such as public attorneys and park rangers.

Other bills would compel the county to presume that if certain employees get any number of prescribed diseases, it's the county's fault - even if the employee's job has nothing to do with the employee's condition.

If a safety police officer, for example, smoked four packs of cigarettes a day for 40 years and then came down with lung cancer, county taxpayers would be on the hook for his workers' comp benefits.

There are seven such bills currently circulating in the Capitol. All would arbitrarily entitle favored groups of public employees to special benefits that were never negotiated in collective bargaining.

And, of course, all seven bills would stick county taxpayers with the check.

It's an outrageous example of the state butting into local issues that are none of its business.

Rather than let local communities and unions craft their own compensation programs, Sacramento jumps in and picks the winners and losers.

The unions that are well-connected, that perhaps made campaign contributions to the right legislators, get the unearned perks. The others get left out.

The collective-bargaining process becomes a pointless joke.

So does local government, which is robbed of a say in its own employment policies. The county's only purpose, as far as the state's legislators are concerned, is to subsidize their social agenda.

To do that, L.A. County will probably have to cut back on health services to the poor and needy. It already spends $200 million a year on workers' compensation, and it's in danger of going $900 million in debt in 2005.

Should the latest round of unfunded mandates pass, the county will find itself even deeper in the hole - and taxpayers will have to make up the difference.

Your money is never too great a cost for their favoritism.