County Budget Slashes 270 Jobs

Ventura County supervisors adopted a $1.3-billion budget Tuesday that slashes 270 jobs, but because of some unexpected revenue it also spares several programs targeted for cutbacks.

Some programs that won reprieves included veterans services, a senior meals program and pesticide inspections.

Higher wages and benefits for the county’s 8,000 employees led supervisors to approve roughly $36 million in wide-ranging job and service reductions, with human services, health care and public safety agencies taking the biggest hits. Dozens of employees have already been laid off or previously notified about the job cuts.

“This is probably the largest single layoff we’ve had in recent years,” said County Executive Officer Johnny Johnston. A total of 700 budgeted positions were eliminated, he said.

Board Chairman Steve Bennett said supervisors did the best they could given the tough challenge they faced. In addition to spiraling labor costs, the board had to contend with having about $7 million in property tax revenue siphoned off by the state.

“I’m frustrated we can’t provide more services, but I’m proud that we were able to make the challenging decisions and still keep the budget balanced,” Bennett said. “Overall, we have significantly reduced county services.... This is as tight a budget as anyone has seen.”

But the news wasn’t all bad.

Thanks to increased property tax revenue and an anticipated waiver of a $1.5-million state fine levied against one department, the supervisors were able to avoid more than $1.8 million in program and service cuts.

More than $600,000 will be shifted back to the Human Services Agency to help pay for a veterans services program, adoption services, foster parent recruitment and mental health services.

The county’s six-person veterans services office, which helps local residents apply for various federal benefits, was set to lose four staff members. But supervisors decided to spend nearly $274,000 to pay for the equivalent of 3.5 workers, while approving a plan to transfer a worker from another department.

An additional $409,000 will go to maintain a program that provides 900 meals a day to senior citizens.

Although only 18 of 32 jobs were saved, Human Services Agency Director Ted Myers said he expected to maintain the same level of service. Overall, he said his department would lose 36 people.

Several supervisors complained that federal funding tied to the program will allow meals to be delivered only to elderly shut-ins. Supervisor Judy Mikels suggested the board review the issue later to determine whether seniors should be screened to limit participation to only those on low incomes.

Myers and Linda Shulman, director of the Behavioral Health Department, also worked late Monday to devise a plan to spare two social workers assigned to the county’s RAIN homeless program by moving them to Behavioral Health, where Medi-Cal reimbursements should help reduce costs by more than $100,000.

The board also agreed to restore funding for three mental health workers who work with people who would otherwise be jailed for infractions linked to their psychological problems rather than receiving treatment.

Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail received nearly $220,000 to retain two inspectors set to be let go and an agricultural planner who works with the county’s pesticide use coordinator. Already down four inspectors because of a hiring freeze, McPhail said further cuts would make it difficult to complete USDA paperwork on crop exports in a timely fashion.

In addition to increased property taxes, the county is banking on a reprieve from the state to help restore some of the funding cuts, officials said. The county had initially faced a $1.5-million fine as its share of penalties assessed to the state by the federal government for failing to create a uniform computer program for its child support system.

But the county is expected to receive a waiver from the state, Johnston said. If that fails, the county will dip into its contingency funds to make up the difference, he said.