Newest articles on The Sacramento Press tagged as "bruce wagstaff"

County's budget picture includes "recently identified" gap

2010-04-16T05:28:03Z

Sacramento County officials are predicting the county could face a $9 million gap in addition to its current budget hole of $166.5 million. A big chunk of the estimated $9 million consists of costs from laying off hundreds of employees during the 2009/2010 budget process.

The extra $9 million was news to county officials — a county budget document presented to reporters Thursday states the $9 million was “recently identified.”

Of the $9 million, $6 million are costs to the county’s general fund for unemployment insurance and pension obligation bond payments, according to the document.

“That’s primarily (because) as the county has layoffs and folks have gone out the door — there’s less employees to spread that cost,” County Chief Operations Officer Nav Gill said during a Thursday press conference. “And that increases the cost we have to recover.”

The other $3 million in new estimated costs is from property tax declines, according to the document.

Gill said that if the county had not laid off 748 people in the last budget process, the county’s budget situation would be even worse.

“Each position that’s laid off has a cost associated with it,” Gill said. “One of the things that we are doing in June’s budget is making sure that the full cost of what it costs to have a layoff is quantified, and we budget for that.”

Hundreds of layoffs could be ahead

The county is looking at the possibility of laying off hundreds more people in the coming months to respond to its ongoing budget crisis.

Last June, the county’s budget gap was $180 million.

In the county’s budget process, positions are viewed differently from actual layoffs. For example, a person is not laid off if the county cuts a vacant position. But if the position is filled, then the person filling it will be laid off.

County officials currently plan to cut 604 filled positions in the 2010/2011 fiscal year budget process, which would mean 604 layoffs.

The county does not have a final number of layoffs it expects to make in the months ahead, according to Interim County Executive Steven Szalay. However, he said the number of positions the county will need to cut will rise.

What are the reasons behind the budget gap?

A key factor in the current budget gap is the county’s decision last year to use one-time funds to close out $80 million in its budget, Szalay said.

Gill noted that other causes include increased retirement and Social Security costs; mid-year budget cuts that did not save as much money as county officials had anticipated; reimbursements from the state that the county expects will come in late; and costs for employee group insurance.

The harsh economy affects tax revenues that come to the county, Szalay noted.

“Sacramento County is going through what all private businesses and public agencies are going through in this terrible economic time — we’re no different,” Szalay said.

Szalay also pointed out that the county “can’t count on additional revenue” because new taxes are unpopular in California.

The county is working on dozens of efficiency projects to cut costs and boost revenues, according to Szalay.

Some of the efficiency projects involve working with nonprofits, according to Bruce Wagstaff, interim agency administrator for Countywide Services Agency. Some of the departments within the agency include Human Assistance, Probation and Environmental Management.

Gill said cuts would be made county-wide. However, high cuts are being analyzed for departments including Personnel Services, Animal Care, Probation, Human Assistance, Health and Human Services and Regional Parks.

Sacramento County’s budget hearings start June 14, Szalay said.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

Q&A: County official describes social services cuts

2009-07-17T04:15:30Z

With Sacramento County’s approval of major budget cuts in June, how have things changed for the county department that works with the homeless and other low-income populations?

The Sacramento Press sat down with Bruce Wagstaff, director of the county’s Department of Human Assistance, to ask him how the budget cuts have affected the department and its work. Wagstaff provided details about the cuts and DHA’s role to manage homeless shelter beds.

He is also concerned about possible state budget cuts that could harm DHA.

Sacramento Press: Can you briefly explain the purpose of DHA?

Bruce Wagstaff: It provides services for the lowest-income individuals in our county through public assistance programs like CalWorks, Medi-Cal, food stamps. We also do homeless assistance programs. We do senior nutrition.

With the economy being what it is, our data suggests that we touch -- through our various programs, one way or the other -- one out of every four residents of this county. And that’s kind of staggering, when you think about it. You go into our intake offices...and you’re seeing the effects of the economy firsthand. Caseloads are going way up. Our intake offices are really crowded. We’re also having to close some of our sites because of our budget reductions.

SP: A total of 154 shelter beds were cut when the Board of Supervisors adopted the county budget on June 17. Has anything changed since then?

BW: Frankly, due to the result of some really legendary work that folks did to try to address this -- notwithstanding any further cuts that might come down -- we have found a way to essentially mitigate the impact of the reductions on the shelters. It’s by doing several things: [One of the things is] looking at the stimulus dollars. [DHA is also able to mitigate the impact of the reductions on shelters] because the board gave us some money. The board gave us some economic development funds. Plus, we moved money around within the existing system.

The nutshell is this: On the shelter side, we think that we’ve been able to mitigate the reduction on the shelters. Where we have a hole, frankly, is in the winter shelter. So, here’s the deal: If we were to continue the winter shelter at Cal Expo, we think we have enough funding for one month. And we haven’t decided what month that would be. However, we have to have more discussions because we may decide, let’s do it somewhere else besides Cal/Expo.

I’m hopeful that by the time the winter comes along, we’ll be able to say something different, pending further cuts. This is not a done deal yet. Plus, we’re waiting to see what happens at the state level. My department is very heavily impacted by what happens at the state level. I just have to emphasize [that] further cuts could be coming. Among other things, the [Board of Supervisors] is looking to find $10 million to give to the sheriff. I am saying: I don’t know where [the $10 million] is going to come from. So, we’ll have to see. But I’m just very pleased the description I’m giving right now is much different than when we went into this.

But I’m pleased to say that the Mather Children’s Services program -- which was going to be totally eliminated -- will not be. It will probably be operating at a reduced level -- pending further cuts.

SP: Can you explain overall how your department was affected by the recent cuts?

BW: We certainly have been impacted. The homeless area is a big one. We also had to make significant reductions in our General Assistance program. General Assistance is for, largely, single adults who aren’t eligible for other public assistance programs. We reduced the amount of cash that those clients will get. The department has also had major staffing reductions at the same time that caseloads are growing to unprecedented levels that we’ve had to adjust to.

SP: How many staffers?

BW: Twenty-five people will be laid off. But on top of that, we’ve unfunded close to 200 positions that were left vacant. So basically, we put a hiring freeze on the department last year. And those positions have been unfunded, basically. So, it’s not just the people being laid off -- which is very unfortunate. I wish that number [of layoffs] could have been zero. But also, we lost all these positions. By doing that, we kept our layoff numbers down. So, that’s certainly been an impact.

In my department, only about 7 percent of the funding comes from the county. So, when we have to take big cuts in the county general fund, they’re focused in a relatively narrow part of the department. So, a lot of my public assistance money, for CalWorks and Medi-Cal and things like that, comes from the state and the [federal government]. So, when they ask me to take general fund reductions, it’s in homeless programs, in senior nutrition, in volunteer programs.

We’re also waiting to see what the state does because there have been major reductions proposed in the CalWorks program, and that could affect us hugely.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

City/County budget crisis: The weekly roundup

2009-06-14T17:19:13Z

City Council to consider budget:

The City Council may adopt a final 2009/2010 fiscal year budget Tuesday, June 16. The Tuesday meeting starts at 6 p.m. City Council meetings are open to the public and are held at 915 I St. The city is considering many cuts and layoffs to address a deficit of more than $43 million. A total of 168 pink slips were distributed to employees June 2. Fewer employees may be laid off if unions make concessions, according to city officials.

County supervisors to act on proposed budget:

The Sacramento County Board of Supervisors may approve a proposed budget for the 2009/2010 fiscal year on Wednesday, June 17. Wednesday’s budget meeting begins at 9:30 a.m. The meeting is open to the public and will be held at 700 H St. Sacramento County faces a budget gap of $180 million. The county and city are on different budget schedules. Supervisors are considering approval of a proposed budget Wednesday. The county’s final budget will be approved in September.

Sheriff sounds alarm over possible budget cuts:

Sacramento County Sheriff John McGinness told the Board of Supervisors June 10 that $80 million in planned budget cuts to the sheriff’s
department would result in significant public safety problems. In response to McGinness’s presentation, Supervisor Roberta MacGlashan asked county staffers to examine the possibility of providing the department with $20 million more.

Homeless programs on budget chopping block:

Sacramento County’s Department of Human Assistance, which provides programs for the county’s homeless population, will have to stop funding 154 shelter beds due to budget cuts, said the department’s director, Bruce Wagstaff.

Kathleen Haley is a staff reporter for The Sacramento Press.

County homeless programs could face major cuts

2009-06-12T02:31:01Z

The director of the county department that works with the homeless population said Thursday that the department is still significantly hampered by the budget crisis even though county managers want to provide it with additional funding.

Bruce Wagstaff, director of Sacramento County’s Department of Human Assistance, told the Board of Supervisors the department is facing a general fund budget gap of $36.8 million and will no longer have the ability to fund 154 shelter beds for homeless people. Wagstaff presented his department’s outlook during the board’s third day of budget hearings on the county’s $180 million budget gap. A proposed budget for the 2009/2010 fiscal year may be approved by supervisors next week.

The social services presentations, which included DHA, attracted a crowd of more than 250 people Thursday morning. All seats in the auditorium were filled, and a second crowd filled additional seats that were set out in the lobby.

“While I am extremely appreciative of all the hard work that has gone into this -- to provide the reduced impact we’ve been able to come up with -- I am not here today to tell you we have fully addressed this reduction,” Wagstaff said.

The department continues to have a “very serious problem” that will lead to fewer services for homeless people, he said.

DHA’s general fund has been reduced about 38 percent over the last two years, Wagstaff said. Meanwhile, the department’s “case loads in every program are reaching unprecedented levels,” he said.

County officials are recommending that the board move $350,000 more to DHA’s budget. Wagstaff originally projected that the department would be forced to stop funding 328 shelter beds. DHA, with the help of other county departments and stakeholders, was able to restore 174 beds. But that still leaves 154 shelter beds in the county that will disappear, according to Wagstaff.

The department also plans to lay off 40 employees, according to its most recent count.

After Wagstaff’s presentation, Supervisor Susan Peters said that there were so many people who wanted to speak that testimony from the public could take more than three hours.

Valerie Feldman, acting managing attorney for Legal Services of Northern California, was one of many speakers who opposed cuts on county programs that help the homeless.

“At the time of the greatest need, this is not the time to balance the budget on the backs of the most vulnerable,” Feldman said.

Homelessness: County aims to lessen blow of proposed cuts

2009-05-13T06:33:28Z

The county department that addresses homelessness hopes federal stimulus dollars will help lessen the blow of proposed cuts to its shelter programs, a county official said Tuesday.

Bruce Wagstaff, director of Sacramento County’s Department of Human Assistance, said the department is working with the Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency (SHRA) on plans to alleviate the damage that would be caused if the Board of Supervisors approves proposed cuts.

Sacramento County is proposing to slash funding for three county shelters, which means about 300 beds for homeless people would be cut. The county is grappling with a $187 million deficit, while the city faces a $50 million budget gap.

“We don’t want to take a big step backwards,” Wagstaff told the Sacramento City Council at its Tuesday meeting.

After making his public comments, Wagstaff explained that the new Homeless Prevention and Rapid Re-Housing Program (HPRP), funded by the federal stimulus package, might help the county’s situation if the Board of Supervisors makes cuts to shelters.

The federal dollars will be used for homeless people to rent housing and for prevention of homelessness.

While HPRP funds are not intended for expenses with shelters, the new federal stimulus funding may free up money in county pots that could be used to address the possible cuts to county shelters, Wagstaff said.

The county is proposing to slash 907 positions. This means that 640 people could be laid off, because the remaining positions are vacant.

County Spokesman Zeke Holst said Tuesday that the numbers of layoffs for the county could change because some county offices may soon announce new numbers.

The Board of Supervisors is holding workshops on the county’s budget crisis Wednesday, May 13, and Thursday, May 14.

Also on May 13, the board is scheduled to address the county’s HPRP application.

Sacramento’s city and county governments will receive about $4.8 million in HPRP funds. The city and county expect to each receive about $2.4 million.

Both local governments can obtain their federal funds Oct. 1 if the federal Housing and Urban Development department signs off on their applications.

Cindy Cavanaugh, assistant director for SHRA, said last month that the city and county are likely to receive the federal funds. She noted then that the city will continue to prepare its program after the application is turned in to HUD on May 18.

At its Tuesday meeting, the City Council unanimously approved the city’s application for the HPRP funding.

Council member Ray Tretheway pointed out that the city and county face good news about the stimulus money and bad news about the possible county cuts. “On the one hand, we’re doing this new intervention in housing,” he said. But on the other hand, the area is facing a “potential collapse” in its support system for homelessness.