Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith gave layoff notices to
33 court security deputies last week, but she doesn’t actually plan
to lay anybody off.
GILROY – Santa Clara County Sheriff Laurie Smith gave layoff notices to 33 court security deputies last week, but she doesn’t actually plan to lay anybody off.
“She’s fairly confident that most, if not all of the layoff notices will be rescinded,” deputy Terrance Helm, Smith’s spokesperson, said Friday.
No patrol deputies or deputies at the South County courthouse in San Martin received layoff notices, according to Helm.
Helm said the sheriff’s office gave out the pink slips because there is a chance those 33 deputies – the ones with least seniority – could work their last day June 30, and if so, they must have 20 working days’ advance notice.
“It’s definitely a formality,” Helm said. “Is it close? Yeah, it’s very close. She’s saving one job at a time.”
Before any final verdict can be known, the state legislature has to pass a budget, something that could happen by mid-June. While the county pays the budget for patrol deputies, the state Superior Court pays for court security through a contract with the county.
“They are supposedly going to have a budget by the 15th of June,” county Supervisor Don Gage said Friday. “That’s what the governor’s shooting for, but I don’t think that will happen.”
According to Gage, the people who can best avert court security layoffs are those put most at risk by them – the judges.
“The judges need to talk to the state and get that ironed out,” Gage said.
Peter Crowley can be reached at
pc******@gi************.com
or 408-847-7216.
