First let’s stipulate that the primary duty of government is to ensure the safety of the public and provide a robust utility infrastructure and a serviceable road system. Public safety includes a police function, district attorney, jails to house those convicted of violating the laws, fire protection, and emergency medical service. Everything else government does is “nice to have” if you can afford it.
If any of these components of the public safety system aren’t adequately staffed to meet community needs, then “assuring public safety” is only a phrase used in political campaigns and not a reality.
Santa Barbara County currently faces a $70 million shortfall for the next budget cycle. To achieve a balanced budget, some service areas must be reduced in scope.
Mike Stoker, a former county supervisor and currently the president and CEO of the Santa Barbara County Taxpayer Advocacy Center, said in a recent newsletter that the current budget cutting proposal being considered is “approaching the budget with a standardized approach to all departments using general fund dollars to proceed with no increase from last year’s budget. For the Sheriff’s Office, that essentially means a $5 million cut.”
To support the idea that cutting an already underfunded sheriff’s department to help resolve general fund budget shortages is irresponsible.
On Feb. 8, Noozhawk reported that “in a letter to the board, Sheriff Bill Brown stated that multiple studies done by his staff and outside personnel found that the number of funded positions in his department is ‘insufficient to maintain the minimum staffing levels necessary to provide mandated services and reasonable levels of safety for our community members, personnel, and inmates.’”
During the past year, some supervisors have expressed concerns over the sheriff’s department overtime costs. In fact, Noozhawk reported on Feb. 10 that “the Sheriff’s Office has been in deficit for at least 10 years to the tune of millions of dollars. Last year, the department overspent its budget by $4.4 million.”
The Noozhawk report states that Sheriff Bill Brown “told the board that his department is still dealing with staff shortages, and overtime hours are the only way to fill those gaps. He added that reducing overtime hours would ‘compromise staff, inmate, and public safety.’”
And on April 15, Sheriff Brown informed the Board of Supervisors that on closer examination, the proposed $5 million cut would result in the loss of 53 sworn deputies and 19 civilian employees, including a dozen Isla Vista foot patrol positions.
To address the cuts, Noozhawk reported on April 17, “Second District Supervisor Laura Capps proposed that the Sheriff’s Office return with other proposals to restore at least six of the positions in the foot patrol.”
She obviously doesn’t understand the gravity of the problem. Sheriff Brown had already proposed reorganizing this service area to serve it more efficiently.
I doubt that any of the supervisors have ever had to oversee a 24-hour-a-day operation and/or a public safety function. To serve an area as large as the unincorporated portions of the county and the contract cities, provide bailiffs for the court, and operate the jail, it takes a specific number of deputies.
To support the idea that cutting an already underfunded sheriff’s department to help resolve general fund budget shortages is irresponsible.
For the last couple of decades, the Board of Supervisors’ majority has aggressively pursued shutting down one of the largest general fund revenue resources in the county.
On April 16, the Sun reported that the county Planning Commission voted in favor of an ordinance the supervisors asked for that would lead to phasing out local oil and gas development. “Last October, the Board of Supervisors voted 3-2, with the North County supervisors dissenting, to direct staff to develop the prohibition on drilling new oil and gas wells as well as to create a long-term plan to phase out existing oil and gas operations in the county.”
Could the loss of this funding source be part of their budget problem?
Is it wise to cut the Sheriff’s Office’s budget? Is it the sheriff’s budget or the revenue-reducing, business-killing policies of the Board of Supervisors majority that are contributing to the budget shortfall?
Ron Fink writes to the Sun from Lompoc. Send a letter for publication to letters@santamariasun.com.
This article appears in April 30 – May 7, 2026.