The Abridged version:

Sacramento City Manager Maraskeshia Smith said she is considering cutting vacant positions in the police department to balance the city budget.

City leaders are currently weighing options to fill a $66.2 million deficit in the 2026-2027 budget.

As of November 2025, there were 138 vacancies in the department among a total of 830 full-time positions.

Facing a $66.2 million budget gap, Sacramento City Councilmembers on Tuesday said they are prepared to reduce the police budget by cutting overtime and vacant positions.

The council received a report last week outlining wide-ranging options to balance the budget before their June deadline.

Multiple leaders expressed interest in cutting or freezing the number of vacant positions in the police department.

“I’m gonna say honestly, police will be touched. We will look at vacancies,” City Manager Maraskeshia Smith told the council.

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Councilmembers Mai Vang and Roger Dickinson urged city staff to bring forward an ongoing audit into how vacancies are used in the police department.

Currently, the police department keeps some positions vacant, and redirects the funds that would be spent on those positions to cover the cost of overtime pay, Dickinson previously told Abridged.

Police department often has high vacancies

The department frequently has a high numberof vacancies. There were 138 vacancies in the department, out of 830 full-time budgeted positions, as of Novermber 2025, according to the city.

“Something that I raised last year, and I think is still meaningful this year … is to do a careful analysis of our vacancies,” Dickinson said. Dickinson is also the chair of the council’s Budget and Audit Committee.

Councilmember Lisa Kaplan suggested that the city consider freezing some of its vacant positions for a year, rather than cut positions.

Options outlined for the council so far range anywhere from reclassifying some positions, to removing upwards of 150 police positions.

“There are no proposed layoffs and this isn’t a hiring freeze,” said police Sgt. Justin Boyd.

More details around the police budget are expected to emerge next Tuesday, when Police Chief Kathy Lester is slated to provide a police budget presentation to the council.

Under the most severe scenarios, as many as 350 total city-funded positions are on the line. Staff cuts are also being weighed for parks maintenance employees and the Sacramento Fire Department.

Felicia Alvarez is a reporter at Abridged covering accountability. She’s called Sacramento home since 2015 and has reported on government, health care and breaking news topics for both local and national news outlets.