As Santa Cruz County faces difficult budget decisions, including using $43 million in reserves to cover deficits, residents have an opportunity to shape what matters most, write three members of advocacy group Care Not Cages. Tamar Ragir, Kathy Lass and Leslie Potenzo argue that protecting healthcare and community support programs is essential to building a safer county. They question why health and human services departments had a decrease of more than 50 positions in the proposed budget while the sheriff’s office and probation face no staff cuts. On Election Day, they remind us to pay attention to county decisions and attend upcoming county budget meetings.
