Santa Clara deputy overtime contributes to county’s ballooning deficit: ‘This is a big deal’

This year, a multimillion-dollar deficit won’t just threaten Santa Clara County’s essential public services — it will force county leaders to reckon with a decade-long overspending crisis in the Sheriff’s Office.

Since 2013, the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office has exceeded its budget by millions of dollars annually — and roughly $20 million last year — for deputy overtime pay, forcing county leaders to cover the overruns from general funds, according to a Jan. 17 report by the county budget director. But that is no longer doable with the budget deficit’s unexpected increase. To resolve the issue, county leaders say they will have to balance deputy hiring with the need to cut services.