County 12-24

On 12/22, 80 percent of the county’s 4,200 employees began their furloughs-essentially unpaid vacations through 1/4-in an effort to save around $10 million and reduce the county’s debt while preventing layoffs and cuts to programs deemed essential. In all, these employees will miss out on 64 hours’ worth of wages. The furlough does not affect law enforcement and emergency services, while animal shelters and public health programs are among those working on reduced schedules. A complete list of closed departments is available at countyofsb.org.