The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors approved its $11.3 billion budget this week, closing a $120 million deficit and eliminating roughly 600 vacant positions despite pushback from county employees.
The budget, which is the last to be shaped by county executive Jeff Smith who will retire this summer after more than a decade at the helm, allocates dollars to some of the board’s top priorities like expanding access to behavioral healthcare, building more housing and providing support to children and families.
“Santa Clara County is investing heavily in mental health and substance use treatment facilities, services and workforce, in part stemming from the local emergency the board declared in these areas 18 months ago,” Board President Susan Ellenberg said in a press release.
The initial proposal from Smith to close the deficit by cutting roughly 600 vacant positions received pushback from employees in the county’s largest union — SEIU Local 512 — who on Thursday voted to authorize an unfair labor practices strike over the county’s staffing issues. Vacancies for SEIU positions have increased by 41% since October 2019, going from 1,587 to 2,248, according to the union.
The decision to delete the roughly 600 vacant positions was made to help bridge the $120 million structural deficit.
County officials project the deficit will grow to $158 million by the 2024-25 fiscal year as high-interest rates have impacted revenue from property taxes, which is the county’s largest funding stream.
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