The economic woes plaguing Santa Clara County may force the
closure of the popular 4-H Youth Development Program, according to
county officials who met with dozens of parents and some of their
children last week.
The economic woes plaguing Santa Clara County may force the closure of the popular 4-H Youth Development Program, according to county officials who met with dozens of parents and some of their children last week.
But advocates of the program say they will do anything they can to save it from becoming a victim of the cuts. For now, they are being told to wait while the costs are worked out between the agencies responsible for it.
Representatives from the government agencies that administer the program were on hand Tuesday night, along with Santa Clara County Supervisor Don Gage, to reassure county residents that they are seeking creative solutions to keep 4-H and related programs off the chopping block. About 1,000 children are 4-H members.
“We’re not to a conclusion yet in terms of making it happen, but we’re getting closer,” said Gage, supervisor for District, which includes South Valley. “We’ve made some negotiations.”
The most likely solution at this point would be to move the 4-H and its sister programs into a county-owned building and cut back support staff.
At issue is nearly $240 million that must be cut from the county’s 2004-05 budget, “which is going to be tough,” Gage said.
As part of drastic reductions spanning all county departments, County Agricultural Commissioner Greg Van Wassenhove must reduce his department’s budget by $422,000, starting with programs that are not required by law or fully funded.
The only such program in his department is the University of California Cooperative Extension, an umbrella of six programs that includes 4-H, farm advisers and Master Gardeners.
“These are programs that are not core to the county,” Gage said. “These are programs that we feel are important for the health of our community, but those are the programs that are going to go first.”
All six programs cost the county $438,000, while the University of California contributes about $1.8 million. The federal government’s department of agriculture and grants make up the rest of its funding.
Van Wassenhove is looking for ways to cut and yet maintain all six programs because pulling 4-H – which costs the county about $20,000 – is not a likely option.
