California Mayor Asks for Prayers as Bankruptcy Looms

Looks like things are moving quickly for the city.

Atwater’s City Council is set to vote Oct. 3 on a fiscal emergency declaration that would permit it to follow other California cities -- Stockton, San Bernardino and Mammoth Lakes -- into bankruptcy court. Across the state, the recession and the foreclosure crisis have depleted property-tax revenue at the same time municipalities are burdened with rising costs including pensions.

“We are in a tough spot,” Mayor Joan Faul, 71, said by telephone. “All I can say, sir, is keep us in your prayers. We will need it.”