The author predicts that California, particularly San Bernardino and Riverside Counties, will not be able to rely on general funds to support the forensic laboratory. He states that user fees are not a viable alternative, either, because they would cause unequal applications of law enforcement, with case submission tending toward the beginning of the fiscal year and decreasing as funds are depleted. Instead, he recommends a model already in use in San Bernardino and Riverside Counties where forensic science is managed and funded by every law enforcement agency in a region, thus achieving the sense of ownership and accountability lacking in the user fee alternative. Graphs, 8 appendixes, 57 endnotes, and 33 references