County of Santa Clara Adopts 2024-25 Budget that Closes the Deficit and Anchors Core Services

SANTA CLARA COUNTY, CALIF.— When County of Santa Clara leaders approached the organization’s departments last year about the budget, the ask was this: to close a $250 million deficit while maintaining critical services for the community. Those departments delivered.

This week, the Board of Supervisors reviewed and adopted the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget, greenlighting a set of resourceful proposals across the organization to fully close the deficit with ongoing solutions. This means the County not only balanced the budget this year but was also able to prevent any of the current shortfalls from rolling into the next fiscal calendar, which is already forecast to be a tough year. 

“We are facing trickle-down impacts from the state and federal levels, along with a private sector actor that is pushing its social responsibilities to the local government. But, unlike a for-profit business, we must find a way to operate that maintains our commitment and support for the residents who need us most,” said County Executive James R. Williams. “During difficult times like these, organizations like ours have to show perseverance and ingenuity so we can protect the safety net services that hold our community together.” 

Over the next year, the County is bracing for a number of continuing challenges, including the State cuts to County programs in the face of its multi-billion-dollar structural deficit. Additionally, the County expects to absorb impacts from the proposed closure of trauma and downgrading of stroke and STEMI (heart attack) services at Regional Medical Center in East San José in August.

Despite those challenges, for the fiscal year that begins July 1, the $12.5 billion budget maintains critical core services and public programs, and in some cases, expands services in key areas aligning with the Board's policy priorities to:

1. Expand behavioral and medical care access and quality;
2. Increase access to housing;
3. Strengthen community safety and reform criminal justice;
4. Enhance support for children and families; and
5. Promote sustainability, adapt to climate change, and protect natural resources.

Below are reactions from the Board of Supervisors: 

Board President and District 4 Supervisor Susan Ellenberg: “While I am relieved that we have been able to deliver a balanced budget that maintains our service levels for the most vulnerable residents, secure our core budget priorities and protect the jobs of county employees, I don’t believe we are out of the woods. The real test will be in the coming years, so our continued prudence and collaboration in how we steward our residents’ tax dollars will be critical.”

Board Vice President and District 3 Supervisor Otto Lee: "We want to thank administration and department staff for a balanced budget that reflects our values and sustains vital community services. Behavioral health remains a top priority, along with investing in mobile dental services for veterans. As a County, we have preserved key services and programs, including staffing multilingual election specialists and maintaining the Public Defender’s outreach team. I'm grateful for the investments in these services, which reflect the County's ongoing commitment to our communities."

District 1 Supervisor Sylvia Arenas: "Despite very serious budget challenges this year, I'm proud that our budget makes critical investments in improving services for our most vulnerable children and families. Funding the expansion of the Child Advocacy Center to Morgan Hill in particular will ensure that children who have been abused in South San Jose and South County receive health care, support, protection, and justice under one roof and in their own community."

District 2 Supervisor Cindy Chavez: “In the face of a significant deficit, this budget protects our core services and neediest residents, while still investing to address our long-term needs in the areas of affordability, health, and wellness.”

Notable Investments

The bulk of the County’s services will continue to be provided in the same way in a wide range of areas, such as public safety and justice, health care, housing, and other essential safety net services. Additionally, a variety of capital projects are included in this budget, including $40 million for seismic improvements to Santa Clara Valley Medical Center and $60 million for Valley Health Center San José, which will provide a variety of health care services to the community.  

Some other notable investments in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Budget include:

• Expanding access to critically needed mental health services by reallocating General Fund resources and staff and leveraging federal and state funding in a more effective manner
• Funding positions in Santa Clara Valley Healthcare and the Office of the District Attorney to expand certain services, including in Morgan Hill, which will also be home to the South County Child Advocacy Center
• Continuing to build new permanent housing projects, invest in rapid rehousing programs, and play a critical regional leadership role addressing homelessness under the leadership of the Office of Supportive Housing, which is now becoming a standalone department 
• Allocating new funding for priorities such as agricultural worker housing
• Targeting investments to expand sustainability projects and programs that will yield long-term fiscal savings to the County, while fulfilling civic duty to address the global climate change crisis
• Proactively advancing equity and inclusion across all operations, policy, and budget decisions
• Laying the foundation for longer-term, transformational strategies currently in development, such as the design and implementation of a Countywide Racial Equity Strategic Roadmap

“Departments across the organization really stepped up to the challenge this year, paving the way for the Board of Supervisors and the County Executive to develop and adopt a balanced and responsible budget,” said County Budget Director, Greg Iturria. “I’m incredibly proud of this work, which continues to fund critical core services while acknowledging and preparing us for the fiscal challenges of this year and those to come.” 

More details on priorities and investments are available in the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Recommended Budget, which is published with an open data portal on the County’s website. In the fall, the County will publish the Fiscal Year 2024-25 Adopted Budget that was approved on June 13.

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ABOUT THE COUNTY OF SANTA CLARA, CALIFORNIA 

The County of Santa Clara government serves a diverse, multi-cultural population of 1.9 million residents in Santa Clara County, California, making it more populous than 14 states in the U.S. The County provides essential services to its residents, including public health protection, environmental stewardship, medical services through the County of Santa Clara Health System, child and adult protection services, homelessness prevention and solutions, roads, park services, libraries, emergency response to disasters, protection of minority communities and those under threat, access to a fair criminal justice system, and many other public benefits.

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Media Contact: María Leticia Gómez / Quan Vu, Office of Communications and Public Affairs, (408) 299-5119, [email protected]