Supervisors hear urgent appeals to restore child-welfare and social-service positions

At a budget workshop April 13, the county’s social services director presented proposed reductions that would remove dozens of full‑time positions and ask the board to consider targeted restorations. Director Nilsen said the department must prioritize emergency responses if restorations do not materialize.

Board members and the public pressed for detail on how staffing cuts would affect child-protection investigations, foster placements and timeliness of casework. Social services staff said they have prioritized safety‑critical functions but cautioned that decreased staffing would lengthen waits for non‑emergency follow‑up and could compel the department to operate at a minimal emergency‑response level.

Multiple speakers at the public comment period—including local union representatives, social workers and advocates—shared firsthand accounts of how reduced staffing has already increased worker stress and backlogs. They urged the board to identify funds to keep critical positions, including field staff who handle investigations and placement services for children.

Financial staff discussed restoring partial funding through a combination of one‑time funds and maximizing state/federal matches (e.g., CalFresh and Medi‑Cal adjustments), but stressed that some policy impacts from HR1 will reduce available matching revenue. The board asked staff to return with refined restoration options and the numbers needed to preserve minimal service levels.