California lowers population count

State officials have downsized their estimate by roughly 500,000, to 37.5 million, after being at odds with the U.S. Census numbers. California winds up gaining just 287,000 residents in 2010, a puny one-year growth rate of 0.8 percent. Growth in L.A. County was even smaller: only 0.4 percent, to 3.8 million. That compares, say, with the 1980s, when the state was growing at a 2.5 percent clip. From Capitol Alert:

The Department of Finance and the Census Bureau were at odds during the last decade over how many people resided in California, with the gap between their competing estimates reaching 1.5 million prior to the census. The official count last year pretty much confirmed the Census Bureau's view, although it's widely believed that the census missed many residents, particularly illegal immigrants, in Southern California cities.

As you might guess, L.A. was by far the largest county in the state, followed by San Diego and San Jose. As for the fastest-growing cities, based on percent annual change:

1. Desert Hot Springs 5.9%

2. Beaumont 4.7%

3. Lathrop 4.0%

4. Dinuba 3.5%

5. Irvine 3.3%

6. Soledad 3.2%

7. Emeryville 3.1%

8. Orland 2.9%

9. Fowler 2.9%

10. Hanford 2.9%

Here's the release from the Department of Finance