State Cuts Could Hurt Santa Barbara Police Programs

The City of Santa Barbara could take a hit as high as $600,000 to its law enforcement programs if a vote held last Thursday by the State Senate Budget Subcommittee remains unchallenged. The Senate committee voted to eliminate or trim back funding for many popular state wide law enforcement programs as part of Sacramento’s effort to address a $20 billion budget deficit. A lobbyist for the Association of California Police Chiefs denounced what he termed a sneaky backroom deal as “unacceptably arrogant,” adding, “It makes Pearl Harbor look like a model of fair and timely notice by comparison.” In memos floating around City Hall, Santa Barbara Police Chief Cam Sanchez responded to the news, stating, “Just unbelievable.” Currently, City Hall is looking to trim $4.1 million from this year’s budget. The subcommittee vote will not necessarily increase that to $4.7 million, because, according to councilmember Helene Schneider, the city’s proposed budget contains already $800,000 in unallocated funds to cover such contingencies.