The latest cuts proposed in the Santa Barbara County 2011-12 budget have many people working in social services and law enforcement warning of an unprecedented hard year.
The county Board of Supervisors, tasked with covering a $72 million budget shortfall, made especially deep cuts to the county Sheriff’s Department, prompting a written statement released by Sheriff Bill Brown.
“I am deeply disappointed at the 2011-12 budget adopted today by the Board of Supervisors” Brown said. “The cuts to the Sheriff’s [Department] are severe and follow three years of continuing reductions. The funding approved for the next fiscal year falls far short of allowing us to provide the level of public safety service that the citizens of this county expect and deserve.”
As a result of the reduced funding, the Sheriff’s Department will need to eliminate or withhold funding for 50 positions during the upcoming fiscal year. According to a press release, this will bring the total number of eliminated jobs in the office since 2007 to 92, or 13 percent of the department’s overall workforce.
Most notably, cuts this year are set to include the complete elimination of the gang team, four narcotics detectives positions, one high-tech crimes detective, and a rural crimes deputy, as well as a drastic reduction in operation hours at the Santa Maria jail facility.
Noting the amount of budget cuts made to law enforcement funding, 1st District Supervisor Salud Carbajal suggested the board continue to look at other departments from which to cut funding—such as planning and development—to ease the burden on the Sheriff’s Department.
“We will certainly work with what we are given and deliver the best service possible,” Brown said in the statement. “However, reducing our ability to target gangs and drug dealers at a time when both are on the increase, and making it more difficult to book criminals into jail, will no doubt lead to a decline in public safety.”
As of press time, the board was set to continue budget talks at a June 21 meeting.
This article appears in Jun 23-30, 2011.