10 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY APRIL 16-22, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS Shawn Stone, CEO of Community Human Services, came with hat in hand to the city councils of Carmel and Del Rey Oaks recently looking for help. Despite the success of the nonprofit’s two shelters for women and families—Casa de Noche Buena in Seaside and Shuman HeartHouse in Monterey—they are both running out of money. Besides those two, CHS operates a youth shelter in Monterey for 18- to 24-year-olds and is contracted with the City of Salinas and County of Monterey to run the SHARE Center in Salinas. The latter two have funding, but funding for the women’s shelters is running out. The women’s shelters derive the majority of their operating costs from federal and state subsidies, from 60-70 percent, Stone says. Over the past two years, that money has reduced steadily. CHS is expecting a 40-percent funding gap for the shelters in fiscal year 2026-2027, growing up to nearly 80 percent in 20282029. Each shelter costs from $1 million to $1.2 million annually to operate. Most of the money goes to pay for employees who help shelter guests secure housing. Currently about 75 percent of guests find either permanent or temporary housing, well above the industry average, Stone says. “We have proven successful outcomes. It’s quite sad to see these services reducing or dissolving,” Stone says. While Pacific Grove, Monterey, Salinas and the County of Monterey Department of Social Services have contributed funds, other cities have shared that they are facing their own financial challenges. Stone is looking for new partnerships and hopes the community will contribute to keep the shelters operating. Growing Gap Disappearing federal cash means two women’s shelters are facing future deficits. By Pam Marino The County Board of Supervisors are back at the annual Rubik’s Cube— attempting to rightsize the county budget while looking ahead at mounting shortfalls. At a budget workshop on April 7, the County Administrative Office presented a bit of good news: More money was brought in than expected for fiscal year 2025-26, mainly thanks to property taxes and one-time reimbursements. But as the budget gets drafted for adoption by July 1, projections show expenditures outpacing revenue significantly over the next three years, with shortfalls of $40.6 million for fiscal years 2026-27, $61.9 million in 2027-28 and $76.9 million in 2028-29. And that’s if no vacant positions are filled. “If we were to fill up every vacancy, we’d end up at $118.9 million short for fiscal year 2026-27,” County Budget Director Deja Sero said. Employee costs, pensions and health insurance are cited as the key drivers pushing costs higher each year against slowly growing (and somewhat uncertain) revenue streams. Department budgets present a mixed picture. Twelve departments are in a deficit in fiscal year 2025-26, with the Sheriff’s Office accounting for over half of that total shortfall at $6.8 million. Meanwhile, 11 departments are in a surplus, including the County Health Department with $2.2 million thanks to a boost from a $1.6 million settlement, and improved reimbursements from the state. The forecasts are compounded by brewing concerns over reliability of federal and state funds, as well as potential economic downturns on revenue. Disasters, from fires and floods to the Moss Landing Battery Energy Storage Facility fire, have strained funds, pulling from strategic reserves while reimbursements have been slow. “Departments, with the limited resources that they have, are adjusting their budgets, but also experiencing impacts in terms of some of the grants going away,” Sero said. How the County will use Measure AA—a voter-approved revenue measure that generates about $26 million per year—remains a source of debate. District Attorney Jeannine Pacioni’s office is asking for $842,347 in emergency funding to avoid cutting investigator positions. “The attorney positions in my 2026–2027 budget are not wish‑list items. They are the bare minimum required for this office to fulfill its statutory duty,” Pacioni said. The Sheriff’s Office is requesting $755,447 to fund just existing services, which includes funding two vacant positions and ongoing operational maintenance for things like the Flock Safety camera network and Axon Air drone systems. The department is also requesting nearly $4 million to bump the total number of Flock cameras from 60 to 200, launch a one-year pilot program for deputy sheriff recruits and fund new searchand-rescue vehicles. “We don’t have one-time money available like we have had in previous years because we spent it on ongoing expenses,” Supervisor Wendy Root Askew said. A week later, on April 14, the board discussed potential revenue-generators and agreed to hire a consultant to look into voter support for a possible ballot measure to increase the hotel tax rate from 10.5 to 12 percent, generating about $5 million annually. Wendy Root Askew, chair of the board, said, “The decisions we make now are going to determine what future residents have available to them in terms of services.” Divest Invest Mounting budget shortfalls and uncertain funding challenge efforts to manage County spending. By Katie Rodriguez Deborah Evans is a resident of Shuman HeartHouse, which provides beds, meals and wrap-around services for single women and families. Government subsidies for operations are running out. “We don’t have one-time money like in previous years.” DANIEL DREIFUSS DANIEL DREIFUSS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==