Facing public pressure and uncertainty, the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday decided to ask for more time before approving a round of employee layoffs.

The board, meeting in Santa Barbara, decided to delay the issue to give county staff more time to talk to union representatives and to look for funding in other parts of the budget.

Officials from Public Health and the Department of Social Services proposed laying off more than 100 employees to address funding cuts, including impacts from federal policy changes.

Public Health is proposing 55 layoffs in response to new federal laws that prevent certain federally funded health centers from serving Medi-Cal patients with “unsatisfactory immigration status.” The new restrictions could affect an estimated 7,500 patients, according to a county staff report, and health workers are working to reassign those patients to other local providers.

Due to the loss of those clients, the department is projecting a revenue loss of $5.1 million. The loss in revenue would bring Public Health’s deficit for the 2025-26 fiscal year to $7.6 million.

The department also will implement a hiring freeze and assess different services it could stop offering as a way to lower costs.

Public Health Director Mouhanad Hammami acknowledged to the board the difficulties of the situation.

“What we bring before you is not because we mismanaged funds or we overspent or we did not perform,” Hammami said. “What we bring before you is something that is out of our control.”

He added that the layoffs would allow the department to “sustain operations, and it will allow us to serve the majority of those that need us.”

Even though there is a legal injunction against the federal eligibility changes, Hammami said Public Health is already transferring undocumented patients to new doctors to ensure that they continue receiving care and that their new physicians are informed of their medical needs.

Members from the Service Employees International Union and their supporters filled the board room while wearing purple and holding signs opposing the layoffs. SEIU members also held a rally in front of the County Administration Building before the meeting began.

During public comment, opponents of the layoffs and the transfer of undocumented patients asked the board to vote against the cuts. They also expressed frustration with a lack of communication between the county and the immigrant community.

“We feel we deserve an opportunity to provide a presentation as well,” said Primitiva Hernandez, executive director of 805UndocuFund. “To bring in our consultants, to bring in our attorneys and other community voices so that this decision can be a collective decision that the community can stand behind.”

Before the board began deliberations, Second District Supervisor Laura Capps informed the rest of the board that she was interested in a continuance on the issue to seek more time.

The board agreed to push the layoff discussion for Public Health to Nov. 18 to allow county staff to meet with union leaders to see if any compromises could be reached. Capps also asked whether staff could learn more about the injunction, for now stopping the federal changes from taking effect, and when it could end.

Social Services Staff Cuts

Social Services proposed laying off 65 full-time employees by January to address a $7.4 million shortfall for the current fiscal year. Layoffs would let the department fill about $4.6 million of the deficit.

Daniel Nielson, Social Services director, said any cuts would not eliminate any legally mandated programs or services. However, he acknowledged that service times could be affected because of fewer staff.

He said if the layoffs are approved, his team will track the service times to report to the board at its next budget meetings.

“We have always done our best to serve our entire population as best as possible and as quickly as possible with the resources we have,” Nielson said, “and we will continue to do so.”

During the board’s deliberations, Fifth District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino expressed interest in helping fill the deficit in the DSS budget.

He recommended that the board eliminate vacant positions in the DSS and use the general fund revenue to make up the difference. He said the general funds could buy the county some time until it discusses the budget in April.

“In the world we’re in right now, there is no department needed more (…) right now than this department,” Lavagnino said.

The board decided to continue that discussion until November as well, to allow staff to develop alternative ideas on how to avoid layoffs and discuss them with union leaders from the SEIU.

Laura Robinson, executive director of SEIU Local 620, said she was “pleasantly surprised” with the board’s decision to wait.

“We’re just really happy the board considered not just the union and the employees’ best interests, but the community’s, too,” Robinson said, “because that’s who’s going to be impacted.”