The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors will hold a public budget hearing on Wednesday to discuss a proposed $8.9 billion spending plan that county officials say is necessary after identifying a projected $101 million cash deficit earlier this year.
The current plan would reduce general fund spending by about $57 million and could eliminate nearly 195 positions countywide, most of them vacant, according to county officials.
This week, supervisors will publicly weigh cuts that could affect law enforcement staffing, health services and county-provided social programs. According to county officials, a large portion of the deficit stems from anticipated changes in federal funding and long-standing financial challenges.
There won’t be any approval decisions made at this meeting, but it will give the public the opportunity to watch the board discuss the impacts of the budget deficit. The meeting is an early step toward approving a final budget in September..
County staff will present the proposed budget to the county supervisors, then hear from departments such as the District Attorney's Office and Sheriff's Office. Among the largest proposed staffing reductions are 48 positions in the Sheriff's Office, 38 positions in the Department of Human Assistance and 15 positions in the District Attorney's Office.
Kim Nava, a county spokesperson, said reductions are necessary to balance the budget given the large budget shortfall.. Under state law, the county cannot adopt a budget that spends more money than it expects to bring in.
"[To get out of a structural deficit], it will take a few years,” Nava said. “I don't think that this is a one-year and done and we've solved it, especially because we don't want to make huge impacts that will affect county operations and our service levels.”
The proposed cuts have already drawn concern from some public safety officials.
According to reporting by The Sacramento Bee, the Sheriff's Office says the currently proposed cuts could eliminate its Homeless Outreach Team, Problem-Oriented Policing Team, Gang Suppression Units and the teams dedicated to focusing on identity theft. CapRadio reached out to Sheriff Jim Cooper's office for comment, but did not receive a response before publication.
Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper raised similar concerns. In an interview with Fox40, he said patrol and detective services would be weakened if the reductions are approved.
"Immediately," Cooper said when residents would notice changes to public safety if the cuts happen, according to Fox40's reporting. Cooper said the department already has limited flexibility because of the need to maintain jail and court operations.
Not everyone agrees with how the county should approach the deficit. Faye Wilson Kennedy with the Sacramento Poor People's Campaign said supervisors should think about public safety more broadly than just police, prosecutors, and jails.
Kennedy said county leaders should balance investments in law enforcement with programs that support families, housing, and health services.
Sheriff Cooper has warned that these reductions could affect services, including response times.
Kennedy said public safety should also be viewed through the lens of protecting county-funded services for homelessness and housing.
"You have to look at both protection and prevention. Really, prevention needs to come first," she said. "We want to make sure there's funding for children and families."
Kennedy said the county should ensure that any reductions are made without disproportionately affecting historically underserved communities.
Nava said each county department was asked earlier this year to identify potential cuts, but supervisors still have to approve them.
"I think that department leaders really made these decisions with having in mind reducing the impacts on both employees and the community," Nava said.
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