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Social services asks board for 125 restorations to protect CalFresh and child welfare
Summary
Department of Social Services proposed $31M in balancing measures and requested restoration of 125 positions ($4.9M; CEO added $400K) to maintain CalFresh eligibility processing and child welfare emergency response; staff warned HR1 and realignment pressures will intensify workload and costs.
The Department of Social Services told the Board that deeply consequential reductions were included in the preliminary FY2627 budget and said targeted restorations are needed to avoid service failure in two mandated areas.
Director Daniel Nielson told supervisors the department’s operating budget is $224 million but it has faced a rapid staff decline: the proposed package would reduce net staffing by 197 FTE (from an adjusted current‑year level of roughly 801 to about 604). He said balancing measures total roughly $31 million across federal, state, and local funds, but only $1.5 million of that is local/general fund savings.
Social Services requested funding to restore 125 positions costing $4.9 million, primarily to preserve key CalFresh eligibility and child welfare functions. Nielson said restoring 78 positions in CalFresh for $2 million would leverage roughly $7.4 million in state and federal funds and allow the county to maintain timely applications and renewals. Restoring 47 positions in child welfare ($2.9M) would leverage approximately $3.7M in outside funds and was framed as necessary to keep emergency response and court‑required timelines functional.
Finance staff clarified that the CalFresh matches change on Oct. 1 under state implementation of HR1 and that adding local match dollars stretches state/federal draws: they estimated an additional $860,000 would be required to ‘maximize’ the CalFresh allocation and draw down more external revenue.
Board members and department leaders repeatedly flagged the uncertain state response to HR1, including the May revise and potential trailer bills. SenCal representatives presented modeling showing potential increases in local uninsured populations and potential county indigent care costs of $9–10 million annually in a worst‑case scenario; Social Services said the county’s ability to keep eligibility processing timely will be critical to limit increased demands and error‑rates that could shift costs.
Director Nielson asked the Board to consider restorations as part of the two‑year strategy to manage immediate service needs while preserving reserves for FY2728.
"Both CalFresh and child welfare service reductions are extremely urgent and important to protect child safety in Santa Barbara County," the department told the board, noting research linking food assistance to reductions in child abuse and neglect investigations.
Next steps: the Board will weigh restorations during the workshops and final budget hearings in mid‑June; staff said they would return with further fiscal analysis after the May revise.
