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San Luis Obispo County’s financial woes continue

March 19, 2026

By KAREN VELIE

San Luis Obispo County revealed last week that its more than $13 million projected budget surplus could become a nearly $1 million deficit in the upcoming fiscal year, and more than $10 million in the years to follow.

While facing a more than $35 million budget deficit in the 2025-2026 fiscal year, the county cut more than 200 positions as a means to balance the budget. However, many of the positions were vacant, employees were given early retirement and only 10 people lost their jobs.

After last fall revealing a $4 million to $11 million budget gap for the 2026-2027 fiscal year, the county cut expenses in mutiple departments leading to a more than $13 million budget surplus. The county bases its status quo budgets on revenue and costs from the prior year.

However, mutiple departments have submitted add-back requests to restore prior jobs and services with a cost of over $14 million.

If all add-back requests are approved, the county faces a $902,187 deficit in the 2026-2027 fiscal year and a $11,994,421 budget gap in the 2027-2028 fiscal year.

The county is likely to require additional structural expenditure adjustments and continued fiscal discipline to balance the budget.

“As part of the county’s ongoing financial rebalancing and resiliency initiative, staff continues to advance a coordinated, multi-year effort focused on strengthening fiscal oversight, evaluating reserves and revenue practices, and reinforcing long-term structural sustainability across all departments, according to the staff report.

California provides approximately 35% of the county’s general fund’s operating revenue. Because of current fiscal challenges, the state may cut funding. Another 14% of the county’s operating revenue comes from federal funds, which may also face cuts.

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Just the beginning. Money is fleeing Calif. to escape the Eco-Tax machine. But don’t worry we’ve got fantastic weather, just like Mexico.


34

AI is the answer. There are the laws, the available funds and the mandated expenses to make the best pragmatic decisions. There would be a big savings and better infrastructure with no people sitting at a desk, working at home or a Board making difficult decisions. We can go to http://www.WTPH.SLOCO.GOV.CA, just like we have to do for everything else.


-17

Remember the “dot.com” boom around 2000? Investors got temporarily rich. Temporarily is the operative word. Remember when Governor Grey Davis was impeached? Those events are tied together. As is the current budget problems in California. Rich salaries and pensions were demanded and granted by state agencies. Those things are NOT temporary. They should be, and that’s the answer to current budget problems. Voters should demand concrete plans from all candidates for reducing personnel costs.


32

I have received surveys asking what ballet wording would encourage me to vote in support of increasing the local sales tax to fund county services and projects. Anyone else getting these surveys?


14

I tried to edit, but cannot on this site. Should be “ballot” and not “ballet.”


10

Only a certain type of person would a of, A – not understood what your were trying to say and B- made it a point to point out any small misspelling you posted, it for some reason makes their day to point these things out.


11

It happens to us all…


9

Pay cuts accross the board: 12% for 1st line supervisors and 8% for rank and file. Department heads 15% and board of supervisors 15%, all for 24 months.


19

Also why did Paso approve to spend millions of dollars on a new pickleball court instead spending those funds in a way that wouod benefit the majority of the people they represent instead of a small group of people if they knew there was a shortage on county funds?


41

Right? I guarantee there are more than a few city owned or built tennis courts that are unused (you know, since tennis is a huge draw in..*checks notes*..Paso.


Find the Pickleball players, and ask them to do the work voluntarily, and supply them with paint, nets, and posts. Those supplies would be the cheapest part of all this, and having the players themselves doing the work, will save hundreds of thousands in union labor and unforeseen delays.


I would gather that many city projects throughout the county could do this, and come in WAY under budget.


30

Why? That’s a rhetorical question.


“Republicans believe every day is the Fourth of July, but the democrats believe every day is April 15th.” – Ronald Reagan


28

How much would the budget deficit be had the county board and other elected officials throughout the county not voted to give theirselves a raise knowing there was going to be a shortage on funding? They don’t care how it affects the people they represent as long as they get to give theirselves a salary increase.


53

How about 3 of the supervisors resign and are replaced with people that have actually run a business.


57

Help us make this happen.


Start with vote for Adam Verdin for Supervisor in 2026. Take back our BOS!


Then we toss the rest of the useless BOS after we take back the majority.


#VoteRepublican2026


34

“the county cut more than 200 positions as a means to balance the budget. However, many of the positions were vacant”, only in government can a job that is not filled and does not require any compensation be used to balance a budget.


“mutiple departments have submitted add-back requests to restore prior jobs”, but if the jobs were not filled before and somehow the work got done why is there a need to request back and unfilled position?, and yet they tell us there is not waste and fraud in our local government.


66

“The nine most terrifying words in the English language are, I’m from the government and I’m here to help.” – Ronald Reagan, August 12th, 1986


Save SLO County and save California…


#NEVERVoteDemoNcratAgain


#VoteRepublican2026


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