Riverside County supervisors on Tuesday adopted a roughly $10 billion fiscal-year budget after two weeks of hearings and public comment, approving the measure 5-0.

The budget, presented by county staff, increases funding for the county's public safety systems while also including new investments leaders said were driven by community feedback. "It would absolutely influence the recommendation, influence the board in making the decisions about the budget," the County CEO said, describing how the county used 24,000 survey responses and public workshops to shape allocations.

Supporters and critics in the public record urged different priorities. Several speakers asked supervisors to shift discretionary dollars into housing, reentry programs, youth jobs and behavioral-health field teams rather than expanding law-enforcement spending. "Budgets are value statements," community member Vania Quarles said during the public-comment period, urging more direct investment in elder care, tenant defense and behavioral-health field teams. Advocacy groups including the ACLU SoCal and the Riverside Sheriff's Accountability Coalition told the board they appreciated outreach but asked for stronger investments in noncriminal interventions.

Other speakers, including veterans and neighborhood residents, argued public safety should remain the county's top funding priority. "This is not a money problem. It's a will problem," said Luis Nolasco, who told the board the county lacked capacity to maintain current service levels without added funding.

County staff and supervisors pointed to specific allocations responding to community priorities. The adopted budget directs roughly $44.3 million in additional discretionary general-fund dollars to the county's health system, including the medical center, clinics and behavioral health; it also increases investment in human services by about $26.4 million to support housing-and-workforce programs, IHSS and aging services. The county said $6 million was added to support affordable-housing work and that multiple state and federal grant awards (including recent awards under the state's Proposition 1 housing bond) are expected to bring additional program dollars after adoption. Staff also highlighted that the county continues to administer and allocate prior federal relief dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

A recurring point of contention in public comment was funding for the Sheriff's Department. Speakers differed on whether the department had seen an increase or a cut; county staff and some advocates noted the adopted budget included an $11.4 million increase for sheriff operations from the level requested as a final allocation, while others said the department remained underfunded to maintain previous staffing and overtime levels. Supervisors emphasized the budget required balancing public safety, health care, and social services countywide and noted that subsequent grant awards and routine budget adjustments will be brought back to the board for approval.

Supervisors also discussed ongoing efforts to expand alternatives to arrest, including triage for 911 calls so that behavioral-health or urgent-care responses rather than law enforcement can be dispatched when appropriate.

The board's unanimous vote adopted the final budget as recommended, and staff said they will continue adjusting the adopted plan to incorporate newly awarded grants and to implement the board's priorities.

Costs, program starts and specific project schedules cited during hearings will be tracked in upcoming budget-implementation items and regular reports to the board.