Last night, the Sacramento County Board of Supervisors voted to defund critical community safety programs while redirecting funding toward what some critics have described as a growing “homeless industrial complex”. This should concern every resident, taxpayer, parent and community member who cares about this county.
Specifically, the Board approved a budget that cuts approximately $13 million from critical community safety functions while adding roughly $7 million to homelessness programs that a local homeless union has called a “homeless industrial complex” due to failed programs, client displacement, and money going to bureaucracy, rather than the people who need it.
This is not a debate about community safety versus social services, because Sacramento County cannot afford to fail at either. The real question is whether County leadership is willing to acknowledge a simple truth: some of our most difficult challenges are not public safety problems or social service problems. They are community problems. Homelessness, addiction, untreated mental illness, retail theft, victimization, and neighborhood disorder all require coordinated responses.
When departments operate in fiscal and operational silos, public safety is separated from service delivery, and accountability is treated as optional, the result is predictable: taxpayers see fewer results, vulnerable populations remain trapped in crisis, and the community bears the cost.
Since the county chose to not use their own budget transparency tool for this year’s budget review, I want to make some key points from last year’s budget. In 2025- ‘26 the county received approximately $661 million in property tax revenue and $148 million in sales tax revenue this year. Those dollars come directly from homeowners and businesses who expect government to perform its most basic functions: protect community safety and property, maintain quality of life, and spend taxpayer dollars responsibly. It is important to note that state and federal funding is also paid by taxpayers.
Yet, Sacramento County continues to spend more than twice as much on social service-related functions as it does on proactive criminal justice efforts. Last year, the County allocated approximately $2.54 billion toward social services functions, while homelessness doubled in the past two years.
At some point, taxpayers have a right to ask a simple question: what are the results of our hard-earned investments in our county? In the same breath, our vulnerable community and activists should ask the same question – what results are we receiving from our government?
Those struggling with homelessness, addiction, mental illness, victimization, and poverty deserve programs that actually work. Just like our taxpayers, they too deserve measurable outcomes. Unfortunately, Sacramento County appears to be moving in the opposite direction.
The decision to potentially put the District Attorney’s misdemeanor unit at risk is a perfect example. For those working on the front lines, the misdemeanor unit is often one of the earliest opportunities to intervene. Effective prosecution and collaboration at this stage can prevent future victims, reduce escalating activity, and help ensure individuals receive the help they need.
Further, many crimes classified as misdemeanors – including domestic violence, stalking, sexual offenses, child abuse, retail theft, and other quality-of-life crimes – have devastating consequences for victims and communities.
Equally concerning is the potential elimination of the Sheriff’s Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Team. POP deputies work directly in the field every day alongside social workers, behavioral health providers, nonprofit organizations, housing partners, and county agencies. They identify service gaps, connect individuals with resources, address chronic problem locations, and serve as an in-field daily performance audit for government investments.
If Sacramento County wants to see what a more effective model looks like, it needs only to look next door. Placer County has built a reputation for bringing together law enforcement, probation, prosecutors, behavioral health professionals, nonprofits, schools, faith-based organizations, and community groups to solve problems collaboratively. Rather than treating accountability and compassion as competing philosophies, Placer County recognizes that they work best together.
That lesson should not be ignored. The choice facing Sacramento County is not whether to fund social services or public safety. The choice is whether to continue funding systems that struggle to demonstrate results while cutting funding toward programs that deliver measurable outcomes every day.
I want to continue to raise my family in Sacramento County. I also want my tax dollars invested in programs that actually solve problems, not simply manage them or check a box. Our residents from every walk of life deserve better.
That is why I am calling on our Board to bring forward an amendment to this year’s budget and restore funding to these core community safety and prevention programs, while taking a real look at county programs that are not delivering results.
I want to thank Supervisor Rosario Rodriguez for standing up for our community and voting against these cuts, as well as Sheriff Jim Cooper and District Attorney Thien Ho for their leadership throughout this discussion.
Sacramento County residents deserve a budget that rewards results, strengthens communities, helps those in need, and prioritizes the quality of life for all.
The future of Sacramento County depends on it.
Stephanie F. Herrera is a current Folsom resident and contributes commentary to Folsom Times. She has over 15 years of service in local, state and federal public policy sectors.
