Sacramento DA warns $8.3 million budget cut would ‘devastate’ public safety
Sacramento County’s proposed cuts to the District Attorney’s Office would “devastate public safety in our community,” District Attorney Thien Ho claimed in a letter to county officials amid broader budget reduction efforts for the upcoming fiscal year.
Sacramento County released its 1,038-paged recommended budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year on Friday afternoon, proposing the countywide elimination of 194.5 full-time positions — mostly made up of open and vacant roles — to close a projected $101 million shortfall. The suggested cutbacks included the elimination of 15 positions and nearly $8.3 million in spending from the District Attorney’s Office.
District Attorney Thien Ho criticized the proposed reductions to his office, writing in a March 30 letter to County Executive David Villanueva that the cuts “would devastate public safety in our community.” Ho argued that repeated staffing reductions would eventually impair the office’s ability to function effectively.
Ho wrote that his office had provided the county with a number of positions that would be eliminated as a result of the proposed nearly $8.3 million in expenditure cuts, but that the County Executive Office requested specific positions to eliminate — a request he was “hesitant” to meet following similar cuts a year ago.
“After I submitted the reductions as per your budget instructions, public conversations were had by both you and then-Chair of the Board that the reductions to positions were at my request,” Ho wrote. “Here is the reality. Forcing me to make the cuts while claiming that I get to choose where to make the cuts is like forcing a pilot to make the airplane lighter and lighter. At some point, the plane will stop working, and lives will be at stake.”
Ho’s letter followed correspondence from Villeneuve on March 17, stating that the County Executive Office had not received a complete budget request for the District Attorney’s budget unit and that the office appeared unlikely to comply with the office’s directive.
Villanueva added that the District Attorney’s Office had requested a net county cost, or budget, of $87.3 million — nearly $8.3 million over its budget target. The office only submitted $233,715 in proposed spending reductions.
A county spokesperson noted that as of May 18, while 14 of the 15 positions slated for elimination from the District Attorney’s Office were filled, vacant positions “exist within the department in the classifications recommended for deletion” to reduce the effect of layoffs.
While the county’s total recommended budget is $8.9 billion, much of that funding is restricted to specific programs and cannot be redirected to cover general operating costs.
Supervisors are scheduled to begin public budget hearings June 10 at 9:30 a.m., when county departments and elected officials will have an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed spending plan before a final budget is adopted later this summer.
The District Attorney’s Office is expected to provide a statement on the proposed cuts next week.
