Multi-million dollar deficit raises public safety concerns in Sacramento County

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper is sounding the alarm over what he says could be a $14 million reduction to his department, a move he warns would significantly impact patrol staffing and public safety.”It would decimate us,” Cooper told KCRA. “And that’s really the thing. It comes down to a quality-of-life issue.”Cooper says if a roughly 2.5% reduction to the county’s general fund is ultimately applied to the sheriff’s office, it could translate to more than 50 deputies removed from patrol and investigations. He says those are the only areas where he has flexibility to make cuts.”The only place I have discretion is investigations, detectives, patrol officers — and that’s where the cuts will come from,” Cooper said.The sheriff noted that staffing inside county jails and in court security cannot be reduced because those positions are mandated. That leaves patrol and investigative units (including gang enforcement, homeless outreach and retail theft teams) vulnerable if reductions move forward.According to Cooper, the department has already experienced a sharp staffing decline over the past two decades, dropping from more than 700 sworn deputies to about 480 today — even as the county’s population has grown.”We were never fully staffed, and we’ve never recovered,” Cooper said.County officials, however, stress that no cuts have been finalized.Sacramento County is projecting a $101 million structural deficit for the next fiscal year, driven by rising costs and reduced federal and state funding support, including impacts to Medi-Cal, CalFresh and other programs.County spokesperson Kim Nava said departments have been asked to submit budget scenarios outlining what a 2.5% reduction would look like, but emphasized that no decisions have been made.”No, there are no cuts at this time,” Nava said. “What we’re doing is waiting to hear back from departments. I can’t verify the sheriff’s claim because the budgets haven’t been submitted yet.”Departments must submit their proposals by the second week of March. The County Executive will release a recommended budget at the end of May, followed by public hearings in June before any final decisions are made.Cooper says he raised concerns early because the potential impacts are significant.”It’s proposed budget cuts. It was put out there publicly by the county executive,” he said. “If I don’t weigh in now, shame on me.”For now, the debate highlights the balancing act facing county leaders, maintaining fiscal stability while protecting core services like public safety.Final budget decisions are expected later this summer.See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel

SACRAMENTO COUNTY, Calif. —

Sacramento County Sheriff Jim Cooper is sounding the alarm over what he says could be a $14 million reduction to his department, a move he warns would significantly impact patrol staffing and public safety.

“It would decimate us,” Cooper told KCRA. “And that’s really the thing. It comes down to a quality-of-life issue.”

Cooper says if a roughly 2.5% reduction to the county’s general fund is ultimately applied to the sheriff’s office, it could translate to more than 50 deputies removed from patrol and investigations. He says those are the only areas where he has flexibility to make cuts.

“The only place I have discretion is investigations, detectives, patrol officers — and that’s where the cuts will come from,” Cooper said.

The sheriff noted that staffing inside county jails and in court security cannot be reduced because those positions are mandated. That leaves patrol and investigative units (including gang enforcement, homeless outreach and retail theft teams) vulnerable if reductions move forward.

According to Cooper, the department has already experienced a sharp staffing decline over the past two decades, dropping from more than 700 sworn deputies to about 480 today — even as the county’s population has grown.

“We were never fully staffed, and we’ve never recovered,” Cooper said.

County officials, however, stress that no cuts have been finalized.

Sacramento County is projecting a $101 million structural deficit for the next fiscal year, driven by rising costs and reduced federal and state funding support, including impacts to Medi-Cal, CalFresh and other programs.

County spokesperson Kim Nava said departments have been asked to submit budget scenarios outlining what a 2.5% reduction would look like, but emphasized that no decisions have been made.

“No, there are no cuts at this time,” Nava said. “What we’re doing is waiting to hear back from departments. I can’t verify the sheriff’s claim because the budgets haven’t been submitted yet.”

Departments must submit their proposals by the second week of March. The County Executive will release a recommended budget at the end of May, followed by public hearings in June before any final decisions are made.

Cooper says he raised concerns early because the potential impacts are significant.

“It’s proposed budget cuts. It was put out there publicly by the county executive,” he said. “If I don’t weigh in now, shame on me.”

For now, the debate highlights the balancing act facing county leaders, maintaining fiscal stability while protecting core services like public safety.

Final budget decisions are expected later this summer.

See more coverage of top California stories here | Download our app | Subscribe to our morning newsletter | Find us on YouTube here and subscribe to our channel