County OKs Budget but Braces for Loss of Jobs

Although Ventura County supervisors Tuesday approved a 1992-93 preliminary budget that calls for a 7% spending increase, they acknowledged that proposed cuts in state aid would force the loss of up to 159 jobs countywide.

The board voted 5 to 0 to pass Chief Administrative Officer Richard Wittenberg’s $788-million budget proposal. Much of the spending increase that it reflects is mandated by county residents’ greater use of state-supported services such as welfare and health care.

Wittenberg warned that the numbers will not become real until the Legislature and Gov. Pete Wilson settle their differences on how much state aid to California’s counties can be cut.

“Your board has done yeoman’s work of paring down and making sure there’s a continuity of services,” Wittenberg said, referring to $31 million in spending cuts the supervisors have enacted since 1990.

Wittenberg spoke of a substantial drain on human services in recent years, such as a 20% increase last year in the number of welfare recipients and a 40% increase in people without medical insurance who rely on care at the Ventura County Medical Center.

Although the state of California pays for most of those services, the county must bear a small amount of the increase, he said.

“It’s necessary to make the cuts permanent, because there’s going to be quite a length of time before this recession’s over,” Wittenberg said. “It’ll be going on for at least a couple of years.”

Any cuts in county jobs would become effective Sept. 13, county budget manager Bert Bigler told the supervisors.

Because state funding dictates how much is spent on health, welfare, courts and public works--accounting for about 75% of the budget--the county has no control over those expenses, Bigler said. As a result, it must make most of its cuts to the remaining services that rely mostly on county money, Bigler said.

“Basically, general government and the administration of justice,” he said. “Those are where the cuts fall.” Such areas include the Sheriff’s Department and the district attorney’s and public defender’s offices.

The supervisors also scheduled final budget hearings to begin Aug. 17, at which time they may have to consider a separate cost-reduction plan that anticipates sharp losses from the state.

County departments were required to suggest possible layoffs that could bring about a 5% reduction in county spending.

Those cuts could result in the loss of 159 jobs and $11 million in funds, including 67 jobs and $3.4 million for the county criminal justice system and 38 jobs and nearly $2.3 million for general government.

While the Public Social Services Agency must spend $10 million in new state allocations to create 74 new positions, other departments will have to suffer severe losses, he said.

“We still want to make sure we are being careful with the taxpayers’ dollars,” Supervisor Vicky Howard said. “Most of them like to be in a position where they have a job and pay their taxes, but some are losing their jobs, and they still must pay their taxes.”