Dozens of San Benito County employees and community members participated in a demonstration Sept. 22 calling on local officials to protect essential services and make responsible fiscal decisions as the county faces a several-million dollar budget shortfall.
The protest at the county supervisors’ chambers building on Fourth Street in Hollister was organized by county workers represented by the Service Employees International Union Local 521. Protesters wore purple and displayed signs urging county officials and onlookers to “Find solutions together” and promoting “Transparency and Collaboration.”
The SEIU members highlighted recent findings that county officials have chronically underestimated revenues and overappropriated expenditures, resulting in confusion about the county’s reserve levels and inaccuracies in financial forecasting.
As a result, the county currently faces a budget deficit of more than $8.7 million going into the 2025-26 fiscal year. The board of supervisors has a deadline of Oct. 2 to adopt the 2025-26 county budget.
Employees from numerous county departments—including health and human services, tax collector, roads and behavioral health—attended the Sept. 22 rally. According to a statement from Local 521, the county has already cut about $14.8 million from departments and services this year, and is proposing another $2.4 million in cuts.
At the same time, the county’s revenues have grown by more than 100% since 2019 and the reserve fund is “more than three times the national best practice in the county’s most recently available audited financials,” the SEIU members said.
“Public service cuts hurt my children, local families and my neighbors who keep this county alive,” said Gloria Hernandez, Eligibility Specialist for the county’s Health and Human Services department. “Cuts hurt our local economy while quality of life suffers.
“For example, our homeless population grew by 73% between 2022 and 2024. As the cost of living climbs and union jobs disappear, residents and families are pushed to the edge. Layoffs and cuts degrade public services which keep people off the streets and in their homes.”
The board of supervisors and county staff have discussed the budget session numerous times at scheduled and special meetings in recent weeks.
Supervisor Kollin Kosmicki, Chair of the county board, said the supervisors have “taken great strides to scrutinize this year’s budget with utmost transparency.”
In response to the SEIU’s suggestion that the county use its reserves to avoid service and staff cuts, Kosmicki note those funds may not be suitable for ongoing costs
“(Supervisors) are committed to balancing the budget and setting a foundation for fiscal stability going forward. This will require difficult decisions now. We appreciate our dedicated employees and understand the desire to spend limited reserves toward ongoing expenses, but this is not a prudent option,” Kosmicki said.
“It’s important to note the county’s reserves are at a standard level that is considered fiscally responsible,” he added. “These reserves are meant for one-time needs, not ongoing operations, and these safety-net funds are a critical asset to maintain in the event of emergencies. We will balance the budget and we will come out stronger in the end.”
Still, Kosmicki added, county officials at a Sept. 24 workshop discussed the possibility of using “departmental trust fund accounts to more efficiently use those available dollars to offset some of this year’s gap.”
