Deputies in the Santa Clara County Sheriff
’s Department voted Tuesday afternoon to forgo their 7.5 percent
raise expected in September in order to alleviate some of the
county’s massive $160 million bugdet deficit and save some of their
own jobs.
Deputies in the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Department voted Tuesday afternoon to forgo their 7.5 percent raise expected in September in order to alleviate some of the county’s massive $160 million bugdet deficit and save some of their own jobs.
“This is a first,” said District 1 County Supervisor Don Gage. “I think this is a very positive and smart move on the deputies’ part. This shows that they are team players and more concerned about public safety than themselves. … I think this will prevent some layoffs.”
The move, which was approved by a 76 percent majority of the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association of Santa Clara County, will save the department approximately $4.5 million over the next year along with some of the 81 deputy positions that are threatened by the fiscal shortfall.
Sheriff Laurie Smith has said the South Valley would likely be hardest hit by the cuts to the department. The cuts could include the loss of South County’s rural deputy who works with ranchers, the fish and game warden and two investigators.
