Supervisors Criticize D. A. Over Budgeting : Finances: The office has come under fire for $344,600 in overruns and not making cuts as other departments have.

The Board of Supervisors lashed out Tuesday at Dist. Atty. Michael D. Bradbury for projected budget overruns of $344,600 at a time when other county departments are being asked to make tough cuts.

In delivering the harsh verdict on Bradbury’s budget, Supervisors Maggie Erickson Kildee and Maria VanderKolk told the district attorney that he should not consider himself a special case when it comes to board-imposed budget cuts.

However, board members decided to give the district attorney the money needed to meet the overruns for this fiscal year, saying that to cut Bradbury’s $11-million budget now would require staff layoffs.

“I see no other choice but to give the district attorney money from the contingency budget,” County Chief Administrator Richard Wittenberg said.

“I don’t want to see this next year,” said VanderKolk, who pointed out that Bradbury’s department also had budget overruns last year.

Lyle Wray, foreman for the 1990-91 Ventura County grand jury, said Bradbury’s department should adhere to the same budget restraints imposed on all departments.

He said the grand jury has been “closely observing the district attorney’s office” and will have more recommendations in its final report, which is due before adjournment June 30.

In an unusual appearance before the board, Bradbury defended his department, saying he needs the additional funding to prosecute criminal cases. He said the number of cases he must prosecute cannot be limited by budget restraints.

“We don’t generate the workload; law enforcement agencies generate the workload,” he said.

While Bradbury acknowledged that his longstanding policy of rejecting almost all plea-bargain offers means higher prosecution costs, he said his tough-on-crime stand has played a major role in reducing crime in Ventura County, which he described as the safest county in the nation.

Last year, FBI statistics indicated that Ventura County’s crime rate was the lowest in the West for counties with at least one city of 50,000 or more residents. Nationally, there were more than 30 counties of similar size or larger with lower crime rates.

“Historically, we have been under-funded,” Bradbury said of his department. “Yet rapes and robberies don’t disappear. We still have to prosecute those cases.”

Bradbury’s response drew further criticism from the board.

Kildee said the county’s Health Care Agency and the Public Social Services Agency have made the 3% cuts ordered by the county and have continued to provide required services to the county’s sick and poor.

“It disturbs me to hear you say that your department is unique,” she said.

Faced with a projected county deficit of $13 million next year, the board voted in January to order all departments to make 3% cuts in their net costs.

On Tuesday, the board accepted a budget report indicating that all departments had adhered to the cut except the district attorney’s office and the county’s telephone services agency.

A 3% net cost reduction would have cut about $286,000 from the district attorney’s annual budget. The increase of $344,600 in spending means that Bradbury’s budget actually exceeds the board’s goal for the district attorney’s office by more than $630,000.

According to a county report, the overruns in the district attorney’s office are attributed to three things:

* Bradbury hired two attorneys to prosecute drug cases without the board-approved revenues to pay the salaries.

* Bradbury retained a senior attorney and a legal assistant after funding by a state grant to prosecute career criminals had run out.

* Bradbury hired extra attorneys and clerical positions on a short-time basis even though his budget for part-time workers had been expended.

Bradbury reduced the projected overrun from $660,600 to $344,600 by instituting a hiring freeze and is planning to lay off some extra help, the report said.

The district attorney’s 1990-91 budget is about 5% higher than his previous budget, said Kathy McCann, a county administrative analyst.

Last year, the district attorney’s office exceeded its budget by $128,200, she said.

Most of those overruns came from an unexpected increase in supplies and services, such as salaries for scientists and other expert witnesses needed to prosecute the caseload, McCann said. The balance was spent on extra staff help, including additional lawyers and legal assistants, she said.

In an interview, Sheila Gonzalez, the county’s court executive officer, said any budget overruns in the district attorney’s office affect the court’s budget.

“Everything that the district attorney’s office touches, if they file a complaint, comes to court,” she said. “If he has a budget problem, it makes sense that the court is going to have a budget problem and probation has a budget problem.”

Supervisor John K. Flynn was critical of Bradbury’s decision to hire two attorneys to prosecute drug cases without the salary funding.

However, he said he supports the district attorney’s policy of accepting no plea bargains, adding, “Sometimes it costs to do what the people want done.”

Supervisor Vicky Howard agreed that Bradbury’s tough stand on crime has made the county a safer place to live, but she said the district attorney is still obligated to reduce costs in tight financial times.

“Having extreme budget restraints, we are all going to have to cooperate,” she said.