6 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY JUNE 11-17, 2026 www.montereycountynow.com NEWS After experiencing several years of financial abundance, the City of Seaside is facing a budgetary shortfall as one-time revenues gained during the pandemic years fade in the rearview. “Like many cities here on the Peninsula and across the state, we face ongoing challenges with revenues not keeping up with expenditures,” Seaside City Manager Greg McDanel says. “Essentially, revenues have flattened while infrastructure, personnel and those costs continue to rise, so we knew we would be in a tight budget this year.” McDanel characterizes the 2026-2027 budget as one of stabilization and recovery, with “a manageable gap in the general fund” of about $1.5 million. “It’s manageable but it’s a real operating gap,” McDanel says. “So over the next year to 18 months, the City of Seaside is going to look at revenue generation and expenditure cost controls and other things we need to do to make sure we can get our long-term financial path back on track.” One of those cost-control measures already in motion is freezing 22 vacant city positions, such as the economic development and community development director positions. The city also intends to draw from its reserve funds this fiscal year in anticipation of upcoming economic development projects being built, such as Campus Town and Main Gate, which will potentially boost tax revenue in the years ahead. “To balance this budget, we’ve reduced our reserves to approximately 88 percent of what they should be,” McDanel says. After two budgetary sessions in May, the Seaside City Council will consider finalizing the 2026-2027 budget at its June 18 meeting. In the Reserves With a tax boost expected in the future, Seaside seeks to right its budgetary woes. By Aric Sleeper For more than two decades, probation officers could be seen walking on Salinas Union High School District campuses, attending games and talking with students. That’s about to end. Earlier this year, Monterey County Probation Department informed SUHSD it would not renew its contract, meaning probation officers on campus will be redirected to other tasks, leaving SUHSD campuses without sworn officers. “We won’t have a first line of defense that can support when something happens, or when students need to be counseled,” SUHSD Superintendent Zandra Jo Galván says. Galván says response times would increase if probation officers aren’t on campus, such as in instances when campuses go on lockdown while officers, including Salinas Police, investigate alleged threats. For the transition period, the probation department suggested a three-month contract with four officers. SUHSD is counteroffering with a one-year transition contract for six probation officers, which will be located at high school campuses, at a cost of $1.5 million. The original contract, which is set to expire at the end of June, included 12 probation officers. The probation department and SUHSD pay their salaries with a 60-40 percent split, respectively ($1.7 million, $1.1 million). “We learned very close to the end of the year that they were going to pull this, and we had no time to really develop a transition plan,” Galván says. The contract negotiations reached the Monterey County Board of Supervisors. During a budget hearing in May, several supervisors favored seeking a longer term contract than what probation has offered. Assistant Chief Probation Officer Julie Kenyon says their work has increased exponentially after the California Division of Juvenile Justice closed in 2023, transferring the responsibility to rehabilitate youth to the counties. Monterey County was “a heavy DDJ user” with an average of 30 to 35 youth in state custody. “It’s always about money at some level, but it’s primarily our resources. We need to do more with less,” Kenyon says, noting the number of detained youth on secure track (those who committed serious crimes) under their custody has increased 700 percent in the past 18 months. Juvenile hall has an average population of 50 individuals, and currently 24 of them committed serious crimes. Kenyon adds the mission of probation is prevention and not campus security. “Probation is a great asset in the community to work with you, but we shouldn’t be providing security for you. We’re not security experts,” she says. Kenyon noted the probation department seeks to increase its Silver Star program, a multiagency prevention and intervention services program for youth ages 6-21 that’s available for anyone in the community. “We want to bolster our Silver Star program to give more prevention and intervention referrals to students that may need them on each of the campuses,” she says. SUHSD will submit 80 letters from parents and community members opposing the department’s decision to the board of supervisors. The board is scheduled to consider the county’s budget, including for the probation department, on June 16. Monterey County Probation Department is one of the few probation agencies that still provides officers on campus, including at North Salinas High School (pictured). Support Line An expiring contract leaves Salinas Union High School District scrambling to keep officers on campus. By Celia Jiménez The City of Seaside plans to pull from its reserves to weather a tight budget year. “We are doing that carefully as a bridge, so it’s not a permanent fix,” City Manager Greg McDanel says. “Probation shouldn’t be providing security for you.” DANIEL DREIFUSS ARIC SLEEPER
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