San Benito County planning department faces staffing squeeze as two senior planners depart

Victor Tafoya, associate planner with San Benito County, and Ariel Goodspeed, principal planner with San Benito County, were publicly recognized at the Planning Commission meeting on Oct. 15 as they prepare to leave county employment for roles with the city of San Juan Bautista.

The departures were followed by a department update from Abraham, a planning department staff member, who said the personnel changes will leave the department with two planners and a total of seven employees across planning, building, code enforcement, housing and cannabis affairs. Abraham said a county hiring freeze and tight budget mean the department will seek administrative help and may need to change service hours or reduce some in‑person services while it works with Human Resources and county administration to identify options.

The change follows years of work by both departing planners. Victor Tafoya was credited with permitting large local events, supporting the county's accessory dwelling unit plan program and helping to craft water‑efficient landscape procedures. Ariel Goodspeed was acknowledged for supervising planning, building and code enforcement functions, managing a multimillion‑dollar annual budget in the FY2025/26 cycle, and advancing major planning efforts including the county conservation plan, sixth‑cycle housing element, safety and agricultural elements, and a county climate action road map. Commissioners presented certificates and several community members and outside partners offered public thanks.

Community members praised Goodspeed's work and institutional knowledge. Seth Capron, identified in the meeting as a representative from Aromas, said Goodspeed had been "intimately involved" in projects such as Riverview Housing and frequently worked beyond normal hours. Leslie Austin, also identified as from Aromas, described Goodspeed as "calm and thoughtful," and said she had helped applicants navigate complex legal requirements.

Abraham told the commission that, since the last month, no new discretionary permit applications had been received but the department handled many ministerial permits. He said the department processed roughly 600 building permits during the previous year, supported by two permit technicians, two building inspectors and one code enforcement officer. Abraham said many permits require multiple inspections ("a typical inspection can be 6, 7 inspections"), and noted recent short‑staffing: one permit technician and one inspector had been out concurrently during the week of the meeting.

Given the staffing level and budget constraints, Abraham said the department would request administrative assistance from county HR and administration and may propose modest service changes such as encouraging commissioners to use electronic packets. Commissioners expressed support for moving forward with zoning updates in smaller chunks where possible to limit staff burden.

The commission did not take formal policy action on staffing at the Oct. 15 meeting. Abraham said he will return with updates after meetings with administration and HR.

Looking ahead, commissioners and staff said they will consider steps to maintain core services while the county addresses hiring and budget limits; specific staffing actions, schedule changes or new hires were not decided at the meeting.