Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the County Budget topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Santa Barbara County proposes $1.66 billion recommended budget with housing, safety-net and capital priorities
Summary
A presenter unveiled Santa Barbara County’s $1.66 billion Fiscal Year 2026-27 Recommended Budget, highlighting $613 million for safety-net services, housing initiatives including a 30-unit family village, $202 million in capital projects and investments in treatment beds, solar power and EV charging.
A county presenter unveiled Santa Barbara County’s Fiscal Year 2026-27 Recommended Budget, totaling $1.66 billion, and said it is guided by the theme “Responsible Stewardship Today; Resilient, Sustainable Tomorrow.”
The document emphasizes protecting essential services and maintaining reserves amid what the presenter described as fiscal uncertainty from federal funding cuts and state revenue shortfalls. The presenter said the plan directs funding toward housing, health and safety-net programs, capital projects and climate-resiliency investments.
Key allocations include more than $613 million dedicated to safety-net services and housing initiatives. The presenter highlighted efforts to expand workforce housing on County property, offer pre-approved accessory dwelling unit plans to the public and streamline permitting. The budget funds a new 30-unit family village to house families with children experiencing homelessness and continues interim housing at Hope Village in Santa Maria and La Posada in the Goleta Valley, which the presenter said together provide 174 interim housing units.
Behavioral-health and diversion programs received particular attention. The presenter said the plan expands substance-use disorder treatment capacity to 124 beds and commits funding to design two new crisis residential treatment facilities, plus ongoing mobile services that connect farm workers and their families with services. The presentation also cited continued investment in jail-diversion programs, including early legal support to reduce jail stays and medication-assisted treatment for incarcerated individuals.
On capital projects, the presenter identified a $176 million Northern Branch Jail construction project intended to replace parts of the South County jail to modernize facilities and support compliance with federal disability-access requirements. The Recommended Budget also includes $202 million for capital improvements across the County, with recreation projects such as overnight accommodations at Jalama Beach, new bathrooms at Rincon Park and amphitheater renovations at Cachuma Lake. Flood protection work along Mission Creek and safety improvements for pedestrians, bicyclists and transit users in Isla Vista were also listed, along with the Clark Avenue Hardscape and Parking Improvement Project in Old Town Orcutt and a new South County Probation building to centralize services.
The presenter framed climate and clean-energy investments as part of resilience planning: nine new solar projects are projected to produce enough electricity to power the equivalent of about 650 homes annually, and the County’s electric-vehicle charging network is approaching 300 chargers.
The County’s openGOV digital budget book, implemented through Workday, was offered as the public source for detailed project and program information. The presenter did not specify an adoption date for the Recommended Budget in the remarks provided.
The presentation closed by reiterating the County’s emphasis on prudent planning and strategic investment to sustain services and build capacity for future needs.
