1.   A news conference turned testy when reporters grilled Byron with questions about why the county needed more time.

2.   Alan Gray, the GOP contender for sheriff, replied that the county needed a deputy with long hair and a beard.

3.   He said covered counties need federal preclearance only when the voting changes are a direct result of the policy choices of county leaders, not state lawmakers.

4.   In addition, the county needs money to pay some county vendors and employees who also agreed to an extension.

5.   LAFCO members said the county needs to protect itself from lawsuits filed against an agency merely doing its job.

6.   Now analysts are saying that the county will need to cut costs and increase revenues if it is to balance its budget.

7.   Second, the county needs to assess the alternatives available for the timely repayment of prioritized creditors and debtors.

8.   That means the county will need to reduce the size of government -- a long-held conservative goal -- well beyond anything done elsewhere.

9.   The county needs to have money on hand to meet pressing needs.

10.   Democrats argue that she has flexibility in deciding whether to stretch the deadline if counties need more time.