Riverside County to Slash Budget

Preparing for a major budget shortfall, the Riverside County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted to impose an immediate hiring freeze and ordered every department to slash its budget by 8%.

The budget cuts will not take effect until next fiscal year, which starts July 1. Public safety officials were told that they are not exempt.

“Everyone knows this board, to a person, has been very supportive of the Sheriff’s Department and public safety, but they’re going to have to find ways to cut back,” said Supervisor John Tavaglione. “No one is going to be left untouched.”

California’s local officials throughout the state are in the same quandary and, with dismal midyear revenue projections, are facing grave decisions.

Sacramento County faces a $50-million budget shortfall this fiscal year, and is considering cutting funds to its Sheriff’s Department, district attorney’s office, probation department, parks and other county agencies. Fresno County is considering layoffs. Facing a $300-million deficit, San Francisco’s new mayor told business leaders there Monday that a tax increase may be unavoidable.

California State Assn. of Counties officials said that public safety is typically a sacred cow, but that the financial situation has grown so dire that it’s on the chopping block.

“We’re at our last resort,” said Jean Hurst, a legislative analyst for the Sacramento-based association. “All of our boards’ top priority is to protect public safety, but when you are facing such significant budget constraints and you spend so much on public safety, there’s really no place else to go.”

Riverside County executives painted a grim picture in the midyear budget report presented to the board Tuesday. The county’s reserves will be drained, and service cuts are unavoidable, they said.

Increasing costs and declining state revenue mean that the county will fall $145 million short for the remainder of this year and next year.

The biggest impact is from the governor’s proposal to shift property tax money from counties and cities to balance the state budget, which will cost Riverside County $26.4 million annually. The county also will lose $36.5 million in state car tax fees -- not the $20-million loss that was projected -- and Riverside County Regional Medical Center is running an annual deficit of up to $16 million. State reimbursement for county social-service programs could fall $10 million short.

“The state is putting the screws to us,” Tavaglione said.

By cutting the budget and draining its reserves, the county hopes to avoid layoffs. County officials may also use $16 million in tobacco settlement money, $12 million in a development agreement trust fund, and $13 million in the Palm Desert development trust.

The 8% budget reduction represents the most substantial savings, offsetting the county’s entire $26.4-million property-tax loss. Department heads must work the reduction into the budget requests they submit to the county executive in March.

“If any department can’t find 8%, then we don’t have very good managers,” Tavaglione said.

Riverside County Sheriff Bob Doyle said the move will cost his department $10 million, or the equivalent of 154 deputies.

“I’ll have some tough decisions to make,” Doyle said. “With the phenomenal growth this county is experiencing and our present terrorist environment, it’d be devastating to cut public safety back. We’ve made a lot of progress, and I would hope the board would continue to commit to public safety.”

But he noted that “it’s still early” and said he intends to lobby in upcoming budget hearings to soften the cuts.

Health-care officials said the budget cuts could mean longer waits in medical clinics and the elimination of some programs.

The agency runs primary health clinics, provides family planning services and offers many other programs. Of its $90.4-million budget, $17.1 million comes from the county general fund.

Times staff writer Lance Pugmire contributed to this report.