Gang unit, Santa Maria jail cut as pension costs increase by $20 mil

Posted: May 13, 2011 5:39 PM by Nancy Chen
Updated: May 13, 2011 9:17 PM

Closure of Santa Maria jail turns deputies into drivers

The only jail in Santa Maria and the sheriff's gang unit could be closing down as part of vast budget cuts across Santa Barbara County because of rising pension costs.

The county just released its budget proposal for the next fiscal year, which begins July 1, and is trying to close a $72 million shortfall.

The cuts are so wide-ranging, the county's cutting the number of staff positions by 205 full-time workers, taking it to 1990 levels.

Closing down the jail here in Santa Maria means deputies will have to take each person they arrest to the main jail in Santa Barbara, which means one less deputy patrolling the streets during the long journey.

"We're going to turn our police officers, it looks like, into cab drivers," said 5th District Supervisor Steve Lavagnino.

Lavagnino and his fellow supervisors will review the budget and make the final approval; he says he'll try to shift money from elsewhere in the budget so the jail doesn't shut down.

There are 44 beds there, which houses 21 inmates all the time. 17 of them are sentenced while other beds are for inmates in transition who are booked there during the week.

The closure is estimated to save $1.2 million, but Lavagnino says transportation costs of taking each inmate to Santa Barbara have not been figured into that savings.

Sheriff's deputies also say while they recognize there must be budget cuts, they don't take the closure lightly.

"We're used to being there for the public when they need us, and there might be a slower response due to some of the cuts that are coming," said Commander Dominick Palera, who runs the Santa Maria substation.

Further savings will come by laying off 17 deputies.

The jail isn't the only potential victim of budget cuts.

The entire gang unit of the sheriff's department is also on the books, and it's all happening when there's a spike in gang violence.

"It seems that lot of the gang members are resorting to more violence, carrying guns, knifes, and they're using them more often than they have in the past," Palera said.

He said his gang team is composed of a sergeant and three gang detectives, which is already half its size from previous years.

The narcotics team could also be cut in half, and the county could be pulling deputies out of schools.

"Some of the vital functions that are out there and which do hold down crime are going to be eliminated," Palera said. "So whether crime goes up or not is yet to be seen. We'll try to do the best we can, but it's going to be doing a lot more with a lot less."

Another victim is the Fire Season Fuels Crew Program, which would mean reducing wildfire prevention and flood preparedness.

Lavagnino says he's uneasy about what that could mean and will also fight to keep it in the budget.

"It's not a question of if we're going to get a wildfire this season but when because of all the rain we've had, we've had a lot of increased grasses," he said.

One big reason behind all of this is pension costs, which went up $20 million in this budget, a 20 percent increase.

The gang unit on the city level for Santa Maria is still standing with four officers, according to the Santa Maria Police Department.

And while the jail might close, the Sheriff's Santa Maria substation will still remain open.

Governor Brown is set to release his May budget revise next Monday, so the county budget could be even less than what they're projecting right now.

The board of supervisors will start budget hearings Monday, June 13th.

Lavagnino says he wants to save a million dollars from the budget by cutting the Children's Healthcare Initiative, which provides healthcare for children, particularly those who are not here legally.

He says the state already provides for children through the program Healthy Families, and that children can visit the county clinics if they are undocumented.

He adds the county is going to unions to consider a two-tiered pension plan.