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San Luis Obispo County planning layoffs to cover budget deficit

August 5, 2020

The San Luis Obispo County Board of Supervisors is considering eliminating nearly 28 full-time positions and laying off two workers as it grapples with a $26.3 million budget shortfall that has arisen amid the coronavirus pandemic.

Of the 27.75 full-time equivalent positions county officials are considering cutting, 25.75 are vacant and two are filled. County officials have notified the two employees who may be laid off and are providing them assistance, according to county administrators. 

“This is a very difficult decision. Just like any local employer, we rely on our employees to provide quality services and the last thing we want to do is cut positions,” County Administrative Officer Wade Horton said in a statement. “We care about employees and want to continue providing important public services to the people of SLO County when they need our help the most.”

A decrease in consumer spending amid the pandemic has resulted in a significant loss of revenue. Simultaneously, county expenditures are increasing because of the pandemic response and a higher demand for public services.

Previously in June, the board of supervisors approved $6.5 million in departmental budget cuts. The budget cuts made eliminating certain positions unavoidable, according to the county.

The initial cuts included eliminating funding for equipment replacement, training and office supplies. County department heads then examined vacant positions in attempts to avoid layoffs.

Also in June, the board of supervisor approved $6.9 million in employee concessions, as well as the use of $12.8 million of reserves.

The board will address the budget deficit and potential layoffs when it meets on Aug. 11.


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Do the math: there is a $26,000,000 budget shortfall and the budget genius will eliminate 27 positions which means that each eliminated position is valued at approximately $1,000,000. These must be highly compensated positions.


14

Hey boys and girls….

Those that live in Adam Hill’s District 3 should NOT have to pay property tax…

Its called TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION!


11

That would have some truth to it, if not for the fact that most of those in District 3 have not had true representation for many years.


2

Too funny! Only here in SLO can laying off two people and not hiring 25.75 (?) make sense. Plus, giving “Assistance” to the two laid off. What do you think we’re saving with this? A couple of hundred bucks a month? How about capping public employee pay at 100K? Think how much that would save us!


15

I’m baffled as to why politicians, city managers, planners, etc all don’t go to Sacramento and make Gavin Newsom pay for the way he has handled this. I am sure that there are billions and billions and billions of dollars that are wasted at the state level that could be returned to cities and counties. Why are we spending on climate mitigation when people cannot work to support themselves and eat? Why is it that BLM protestors are able to organize and get their case made known to the public but the people we pay to manage the cities don’t seem to have any other answers than to cut the budget, raise taxes and if I read this correctly are cutting positions that don’t exist? Why don’t people stand up to Sacramento? If the founding fathers were able to stand up to the British when the penalty for failure was being charged with treason why can’t people stand up against our own governor? Unfortunately the Federal government rewards bad behavior by not forcing the States to deal with this directly instead of printing money.


20

Why should they be immune to what all of us are going through?? Too bad, so sad…NOT.


12

Give me a hard copy of the budget, a couple of red pens, no interference from the unions or office politics, and three days, and I’ll cut $35M with no loss in services.


In addition, I wonder what the top floor of the building pictured would rent for to private enterprise, were it no longer needed by the county?


39

The welfare disbursers at SLO County Social Services should be first on the chopping block…plenty of dead weight there.


12

Confused how do you figure eliminating existing non paid positions is cutting anything. How about cutting your salary and some of the other departments allotment . Something that means something


42

The shortfall is based on budgeted expenses, including those 27.75 FTEs. The real question is what county services have actually been cut/harmed by these positions going unfilled thus far?


If there’s no hard poof that a given position was actually required, then cutting the individual(s) who projected their need must also be considered in my opinion.


11

So if what 90% of the positions were already vacant, and not drawing a salary, how does this really save any money? Government shell game? This also seems to say that if they could run without these positions filled are they really needed or is it just more government pork used to fleece the taxpayers more?


39
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