And so the battle over Santa Barbara County’s next budget begins.

While official funding decisions won’t be made until June, workshops are being held this week for different agencies and departments to present their projects and plans for the upcoming year. 

On Tuesday, the District Attorney’s Office, Sheriff’s Office, Probation, Public Defender, and Fire department leaders presented their budget requests to the Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors.

County Executive Officer Mona Miyasato plans a status quo budget and does not recommend using the general fund to expand ongoing services and staff. No major cuts are proposed.

She said the theme this year is “prudence and progress.”

The Board of Supervisors is holding another budget workshop Wednesday and, if necessary, continuing on Friday. They will make final decisions at a series of budget hearings in May or June.

The only departments that requested expansions during Tuesday’s workshop were the District Attorney and the Sheriff.

District Attorney Asks For More Staff

John Savrnoch said the District Attorney’s Office has a backlog of felony cases, their investigations bureau is 20% understaffed compared to similar counties, and legislative changes will increase the overall workload. 

His department has a $36.6 million preliminary budget for next year and he asked for another $920,000 over the next two years for two more staff positions.

One of the positions would focus on Racial Justice Act motions.

Savrnoch said the Racial Justice Act, which aims to prevent the state from seeking criminal conviction based on race, ethnicity and national origin, requires more case review before charges are filed.

“Race blind charging requirements will be an additional stressor on our IT systems, our charging attorneys, and our budget,” he said.

Another new law requires a District Attorney representative to appear in court whenever a law enforcement agency denies someone a permit to carry a concealed weapon. 

Third District Supervisor Joan Hartmann commended Savrnoch for his work and said his office is making changes that the county needs. 

“You’re making a lot of changes internally and I think they’re responsive to community needs and desires,” Hartmann said.

Sheriff Wants New Narcotics Enforcement Team

The Sheriff’s Office has an operating budget of $199.9 million this year and a preliminary budget of $207.1 million next year. Sheriff Bill Brown asked supervisors for another $3.8 million in ongoing funding and $312,000 in one-time funding next year.

That would add staff for a narcotics and fentanyl-focused enforcement team, mental health clinicians in county jails, and staff training, he said.

Sheriff Bill Brown said the ongoing issues for the sheriff’s department include recruiting and retaining staff and the opioid addiction in the county.

Brown said the funding fentanyl focused narcotics enforcement team was crucial and that if it couldn’t be funded from the county’s general fund, they needed to find the money from somewhere else.

“The overdose crisis is an exigent circumstance that calls for a new approach,” Brown said. “It calls for exceptions to the current budget strategies of prudence and maintaining the status quo.”

Just last week, Brown told the board that drug overdose deaths in the county have surged 51% in the past three years.

Fourth District Supervisor Bob Nelson said he was concerned over funding new positions while so many other positions in the Sheriff’s Office are currently vacant.

“It’s hard for us as a board to fund those positions when we know that just creates a vacancy somewhere else and more overtime somewhere else,” Nelson said. 

Brown echoed Nelson’s concerns over vacancies and said other law enforcement agencies are also having difficulties hiring people. They’ve poured additional support into human resources to hire more people, he said.

“We’ve been struck with a significant number of people that retired after the pandemic, after the George Floyd tragedy, and the criticism that had been leveled against law enforcement has definitely been a factor,” Brown said. 

At a community meeting about jail healthcare last week, Undersheriff Craig Bonner said custody deputies — the hardest to hire and keep on staff — are quitting because of the mandatory overtime to handle short staffing. They’re hiring people, but the numbers don’t keep up with the people quitting or retiring, he said.

Public Defender Points to Ongoing Funding Disparities

Public Defender Tracy Macuga asked the board to address the funding disparity between prosecutors and public defenders in Santa Barbara.

Macuga referenced the story of David and Goliath and said that from a budget perspective, her department is David.

Macuga pointed out that the Public Defender’s Office makes up 6.9% of the county’s total public safety budget and there is a $10.6-million funding gap between the District Attorney and Public Defender offices.

“This disparity in funding has real consequences for our workforce who suffer under heavy caseloads, and for our clients,” Macuga said. “We simply can no longer ignore the impact of an under-resourced Public Defender’s Office.”

Macuga said her department only has nine investigators, who have to gather evidence, interview witnesses, and to explore crime scenes throughout the county. 

“While the story of David and Goliath serves as an inspiring tale of an underdog overcoming seemingly insurmountable odds, our justice system in Santa Barbara should not mirror that narrative,” Macuga said.