Budget/Fiscal Archives - Page 2 of 2

Guest Commentary: Oppose proposed budget cuts to the Yolo County Health Department

By Matt WilliamsFebruary 23, 20101 comments

In the most recent round of budget reductions the Yolo County Health Department suffered significant losses of both personnel and programs. Unfortunately those cuts and the cuts in other County departments were not enough to eliminate the County’s budget deficit. The Supervisors have the difficult and thankless job of deciding where additional reductions will be made.

In difficult times it is important not to mince words. The following letter from the Health Council to the Supervisors emphatically states that further cuts to the Health Department represent not ‘fat trimming’ but the elimination of the equivalent of bone and vital organs. Further cuts will damage the aggregate health and well being of the County, and in some cases will result in the loss of substantially more State and Federal subsidy dollars than the dollars contained in the proposed cut.

Proposed Budget Cuts To The Yolo County Health Department: Can We Afford Them?

By David GreenwaldFebruary 18, 20102 comments
by Mary Zhu –

Given the state budget crisis, the Board of Supervisors has difficult choices to make, one of which is whether to accept the draconian cuts proposed for the Yolo County Heath Department. Threatened are the very programs that took us out of the squalor of the 19th century and that continue to guard our health today.

At the beginning of the 20th century, childbirth was dangerous and lives were short. In 1900, for every 1000 live births, 6-9 women died of complications of pregnancy and 135 infants died before their first birthday, a loss of more than one of every ten babies. By the 1950’s, these deaths were uncommon. The maternal mortality rate in 1997 was less than 0.1/1000 live births and the infant mortality rate by year one was 7.2 /1000 live births (1)(2). These changes are spectacular and unparalleled among improvements in all other mortality rates. Because of the salvage of infant lives, the expected life span at birth rose from 47.3 years in 1900 to 73.7 years in 1980, a gain of more than 26 years of life. More recently, a few additional years were added at the other spectrum of life; survival from the ailments of age (heart diseases and cancers) improved and life spans increased to 77.7 years in 2006 (3).

County Health Services Would Be Gutted in Budget Cuts

By David GreenwaldFebruary 16, 20101 comments
As we have reported more times than we bear, the county has around a 21 million dollar deficit that it will be cutting around March 25, 2010. In order to get to that point, whole departments may be eliminated. However, the worst impact will be on the residents who rely on vital services from the county, most particularly health services.

Departments have been asked to identify the possible impacts and develop worst-case scenarios in the event they have to absorb a 16 to 35% budget reduction target. From the health department budget the county is contemplating a cut over a little over a million dollars. The impact will be devastating on multiple levels. In the fiscal year 2007/08 there were 130.3 FTE positions in the Yolo County Health Department, by 2010/11, that number could be down nearly in half to 67.4.

County Begins To Look At $21 Million in Cuts For Next Year’s Budget

By Vanguard AdministratorFebruary 12, 20104 comments
by Eric Alfaro –

This week the Yolo Board of Supervisors gathered in a special strategic budget planning sessions to discuss inevitable cuts to the county budget while simultaneously strategizing ways to keep Yolo County performing in a self sustainable manner.

Discussed in the planning session were the logistics behind the current budget problems and the recommended department cuts that would alleviate the budget gap for the 2010-11 fiscal years and beyond.

Study Presents Alarming Findings on the Condition of Yolo County’s Roadways

By David GreenwaldFebruary 10, 20101 comments
Streets and Roads Assessment Shows State and Local Transportation Systems at Great Risk –

Much of the attention in the coming days will focus on the 20 million dollars in cuts to the Yolo County General Fund Budget. These cuts will decimate social services that are the lifeblood to the county and its needy residents.

However, a looming crisis has gone undetected until now. California Statewide Local Streets and Roads Needs Assessment conducted its first comprehensive review of local system conditions and it found that local transportation systems are at risk without increased state investment.

Pick Another Fight Mr. Dunning, Teen Smoking is Certainly Worthy of Our Efforts

By David GreenwaldJune 14, 200933 comments
It all began on June 6, 2009, Davis Enterprise Columnist Bob Dunning pulled on a small item about a program in Yolo County that targets teen smoking. His complaint was that the county was spending resources trying to crack down on vendors selling youths cigarettes.

After Mr. Dunning has decided to write on this particular topic a number of times and has seen that most people are not sympathetic to his arguments, perhaps he sees the writing on the wall. For my part, I figured it was time to weigh in on this issue. I actually have mixed feelings on it, but think if the program works, it’s probably well-worth the money. The question is whether the program works and like most things, I do not think we are testing it.

Early Retirements Sound Good, But Some Experts Warn That They Could Cost More Later

By David GreenwaldMay 17, 20097 comments
On Thursday it was announced that 93 county employees in Yolo accepted a so-called Golden Handshake or early retirement. This included the number 2 person in the District Attorney’s Office, Ann Hurd and the County’s Public Defender Barry Melton.

Both are 62, only a few years before their normal retirement. The county has a huge problem–probably bigger than any other local jurisdiction. They face a deficit upwards of 24 million dollars which is greater than one-third of the county’s general fund budget.

Will Cuts to Health Care for Indigent Cost Us More in the Long Run?

By David GreenwaldMay 11, 20094 comments
Last week the County put off a decision on cutting off indigent health services to undocumented residents. However, the county will have to act on it and it is likely given the fiscal conditions of the county, they will act to cut off these services.

It is greatly ironic that one of the Republicans on the Board of Supervisors, Matt Rexroad seems to get the fact that while it would seem the fiscally prudent thing to do, cutting off health services to indigent patients probably costs more in the long run.

Commentary: Yolo County Needs To Avoid Cuts in YCHIP

By David GreenwaldMay 4, 20098 comments
On Tuesday, the Yolo County Board of Supervisors will discuss cutting an already-underfunded YCHIP program budget by 36 percent. There is no doubt these are tough times for local government and of all governments counties are suffering the most and yet also relied upon the most for vital services. Yolo County is no exception. They are being forced to cut one-third of their general fund budget.

Two weeks ago Sheriff Ed Prieto made a vigorous defense of his department arguing that law enforcement would be hamstrung by the proposed cuts.

Sheriff’s Department Cries Foul Over Proposed Budget Cuts

By David GreenwaldApril 22, 20097 comments
We have not covered this nearly enough, but Yolo County faces what is now a 24 million dollar budget deficit for next year. How big is that number? It represents over one third (36 percent to be precise) of the County’s General fund.

The proposal put forth by the county was to lay off 111 workers–a number that includes 53 from the Sheriff-Coroner’s Office.

Supervisor-elect Jim Provenza Hires Staff

By David GreenwaldDecember 13, 20088 comments
Yolo County

Special to the Vanguard

Jim Provenza, Yolo County Supervisor – Elect for the 4th District announced today that he is appointing Gina Daleiden to serve as Deputy County Supervisor. Sandra Rodriguez will continue as Assistant Deputy.

Daleiden is currently employed as the Assistant Deputy to Supervisor Helen Thomson and is President of the Davis School Board. Daleiden is a Davis native and a 4th District resident in South Davis. Provenza and Daleiden previously served together on the Davis School Board.

100K Club of Yolo County

By David GreenwaldAugust 19, 200860 comments
Yolo County

Two weeks ago, we had our listing of the 100K Club of Davis. In it were the 61 employees of the city of Davis who earned $100,000 or more in 2007. Of those 61, 48 were in public safety and 38 of those were firefighters. Now we have compiled through another public records act request the 100K Club of Yolo County. There were 64 Yolo County employees who earned $100,000 or more in 2007.

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by Mary Zhu –

by Eric Alfaro –

Streets and Roads Assessment Shows State and Local Transportation Systems at Great Risk –

Special to the Vanguard

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