July 10, 2007

County Report

Supervisors restore funding to safety net

By County Supervisor Ken Yeager
Special to the Times

My fellow supervisors and I voted June 15 to adopt a budget plan for the county that restores many of the vital safety net services that had previously been slated to be reduced or cut.

The board of supervisors has struggled for many months to solve the county’s $227 million deficit. County departments braced themselves for the anticipated loss of many essential programs and numerous highly qualified staff members. Our community-based partner organizations engaged with us in the hard discussions for the grim realities of our budget situation.

The Department of Mental Health faced some of the most severe cuts this year. An outpouring of support from residents, clients and staff testified to the importance of quality of comprehensive mental health services to our community. I am pleased that proposals put forward by Supervisor Liz Kniss and myself to continue funding adult outpatient services, family and children’s services and the 24-Hour Call Center were approved by the board.

The board further approved proposals from Supervisor Kniss and me to restore funding to the Department of Alcohol and Drug Services. This means that funding for residential treatment programs, transitional housing and outpatient services will continue for those who count on these services to put their lives and their families back together.

The board also unanimously approved a proposal from Supervisor Don Gage and me to fully fund contracts with our community-based partners who provide services for battered women, the homeless, children and immigrants. Supervisor Alvarado and I joined in a proposal to restore two attorney positions to the Public Defender’s office, which was also supported by the board.

Thanks to additional state and federal revenue realized through the Social Services Agency, the Administration was able to propose the restoration of all of the regional public health nursing positions. This will preserve public health nursing services for all areas of the county. The board further modified this proposal to restore funding to the Maternal, Child and Adolescent Health Program; the Black Infant Health Program; school-linked services; and the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Program in South County. I was glad to vote in support of funding these programs for our residents.

Public safety is one of the highest priorities of the county, and the board demonstrated this when it agreed to restore funding to essential programs that protect our residents. The District Attorney’s office will be able to maintain its Elder Fraud Unit, since the board approved a proposal to this effect that Supervisor Pete McHugh and I jointly sponsored.

Students in our community can continue to count on the District Attorney’s Truancy Abatement Program to keep them on the right track. The board approved a joint proposal from Supervisor Alvarado and me to preserve this program, which provides such a critical support service to our partners in the education community.

The board faced many tough choices when deciding which programs to restore and which to cut. I believe we struck the appropriate balance between judicious program cuts and dipping into our reserves to restore some of the services that our residents depend on in their times of greatest need.

This budget process was truly collaborative. We were able to maintain the county’s fiscal health while preserving vital safety net services at the same time. Next year promises to be no less challenging, but, working together, we can again achieve a community that our county can be proud of.

I always appreciate hearing from residents on issues of concern to them. Please feel free to call my office at (408) 299-5040 or e-mail me at Ken.Yeager@bos.sccgov.org.