The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors is considering extensive budget cuts that would most impact UC Santa Barbara students through longer CalFresh wait times and diminished law enforcement coverage in Isla Vista. These cuts are being proposed due to a projected $66.4 million budget deficit over the next five years.
The Board of Supervisors at the April 13 budget workshop. Courtesy of CSBTV20
In early March, County staff gave a report on the budget’s projected deficit ahead of this week’s budget workshops for the next fiscal year. According to County staff at the March 3 Board of Supervisors meeting, losses in government funding, rising operating costs and less revenue have led to the budget deficit. The budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year is $1.64 billion which is a 2.9% decrease from last year.
Throughout this week, County departments will be presenting to the Board and the public regarding their proposed budgets and goals. County staff recommended $70 million worth of cuts, with social services and health departments facing the largest reduction according to Noozhawk.
Per the proposed balancing measures, Social Services would see a budget decrease of $30,863,031. In regards to CalFresh, the funding decrease could result in “slower” CalFresh application and renewal processing time. Other impacts include unfunded positions within Social Service departments and eliminated family resource center funding.
These changes are likely to compound with existing federal cuts. Last October, UCSB’s CalFresh outreach program, which helps students apply to CalFresh, faced a 60% budget cut for 2026. According to the University’s Basic Needs department, 48% of undergraduate students experience food insecurity.
Regarding law enforcement cuts, the Santa Barbara County Sheriff’s Office is proposing eliminating 30 positions within the Isla Vista Foot Patrol, custodian services and other areas, which amounts to $5,044,794 of savings. The anticipated impact of these cuts would be “diminished patrol coverage in Isla Vista and increased response times in South County patrol areas,” according to the proposed balancing measures.
The Board will adopt the official budget in June. Budget workshops are open to the public, with the final one taking place on April 17 at 9 a.m. at the County Administration Building as well as on livestream.
A version of this article appeared on p. 1 of the April 16 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
