The South Bay’s top prosecutor and chief public defender object to staffing cuts meant to help close the county’s $251 million deficit.
SAN JOSE — Santa Clara County’s district attorney and chief public defender are engaging in a seldom-seen display of unity, pushing back against proposed budget cuts to their offices that they say will significantly hamper public safety and due process in the region.
O’Neal said her office has long been a tight fiscal operation that can’t afford to lose the 30 attorneys who could be laid off to meet a $9 million reduction proposal. Thirty-six of the office’s 98 investigators are funded by grants tied to specific enforcement, such as retail theft. That means the 20 employees on the fiscal chopping block would come only from the remaining 62 investigators who are paid from the county’s general fund. Rosen said that would hamper regional task forces that his office either leads or heavily supports, including teams that address gun violence, the fentanyl epidemic and human trafficking.
“To me the places to cut are the places that have grown exponentially, not the parts of the budget that remained stable,” he said.In a response letter, County Executive James Williams refuted Rosen’s characterization, arguing that by zooming out 30 years, the DA’s office has actually experienced the most growth of any county public-safety agency.
But Williams indicated in his letter, and on Wednesday, this is not sustainable given the coming year’s deficit and “a few more years of challenging budget cycles.”
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