What, exactly, are the priorities of our county government? When a family faces a budget crisis and plans belt-tightening, it does not cut from its basic needs: food, shelter, medical care. It cuts from vacation, kids’ allowances, parties, extras. If Uncle Frank urges the family to invest in his rail scheme, they say, “We can’t afford it.” If they support dottie Auntie Jean’s assisted living, they don’t cut her off.
The point is that Santa Clara County is considering cutting services to the most needy among us: the poor, the homeless, the mentally ill and youthful offenders. Meanwhile, Uncle Frank’s last name is VTA, his rail scheme is BART and the county continues to pour millions down the drain on a failed project. Sure, the BART-to-San Jose money can’t go to the county general fund, but the point is our priorities are out of whack.
It’s time to cut back on lavish benefit packages for employees and focus on what can be done to trim the fat on executive perks, salaries and benefits. What about cutbacks from the supervisor’s offices? Are any of our elected leaders offering to make 20 percent cuts in their office and staff budgets? Why not lead by example?
And why not set a new example for responsible spending by eliminating BART to San Jose. The grand jury, the federal transportation officials, the voters and the Hays Group all have roundly criticized the project. Yet the supervisors hang on.
Valley Medical Center is one of our county’s big ticket items. Of course we need to provide medical care for those without insurance. Especially in the face of closures of other hospitals, our county needs VMC. The money troubles at VMC stem in part from employee benefits outstripping state and federal payments for mandated services like MediCare and MediCal. The bargaining units need to help bring the budget into the black. We all suffer when the county budget goes wrong.
VMC employees need decent, living wages and they deserve reasonable benefits. However, they should be willing to pitch in when other departments face reduced services and reduced staff.
Countywide, performance-based reviews need to become the criteria for raises and extended contracts. Let’s be sure that our tax money is well spent on hard-working, productive employees at every level.
From the supply side, our family in financial trouble would look at increasing income. They’d try to find an additional job, rent out a room, sell the extra car. So, our county may ask the taxpayers for more money.
For us to support that request, the financial house had better be in order. That means VTA and Valley Medical Center need to be lean and efficient. That means any proposed tax increase must go to restoring the basic services we’re talking about reducing. That means the public perception must be that the employees are well worth the expense.
If all departments look at their budgets and work together, our county can survive with less drastic damage to the helping hand we are morally called to offer to the most vulnerable among us.
