Sheriff’s Office warns Sacramento County budget cuts could affect public safety
Sacramento County’s recommended budget cuts to the Sheriff’s Office will eliminate “essential positions addressing critical crimes and quality-of life issues,” a spokesperson for the department wrote, three days after a slew of budget reduction efforts for the upcoming fiscal year were announced by the County Executive Office.
Sacramento County released its recommended budget for the 2026-27 fiscal year on Friday afternoon, proposing the countywide elimination of 194.5 full-time positions in response to a projected $101 million shortfall in the wake of impacts from the “Big, Beautiful Bill.” Under the recommended spending plan, 48 positions will be cut from the Sheriff’s Office, along with $13.7 million from the department’s base budget, according to a spokesperson for the County Executive Office.
“If approved, these cuts would eliminate the Homeless Outreach Teams (HOT), the Problem-Oriented Policing (POP) Teams, as well as the Gang Suppression Unit and Identity Theft Bureau,” Sgt. Ed Igoe, a spokesperson for the Sheriff’s Office, wrote in a statement. “These are essential positions addressing critical crimes and quality-of-life issues, impacting public safety in Sacramento County.”
The Sheriff’s Office’s comments follows similar opposition from the District Attorney’s Office. Fifteen positions and nearly $8.3 million have been proposed in cutbacks to the District Attorney’s Office under the recommended budget. District Attorney Thien Ho wrote to County Executive David Villanueva in late March, arguing that the cuts would “devastate public safety in our community.”
Public budget hearings before the Board of Supervisors will begin 9:30 a.m. June 10. At the hearings, county departments and elected officials will be able to weigh in on the proposed budget before a final version is adopted later this summer.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 4:22 PM.
