Santa Barbara County reduces workforce amid 2026-27 budget cuts
SOURCENews reportView the filing ↗
What we know
Location: Santa Barbara County, California, USA.
Based on news reporting.
Summary
Santa Barbara County, the region's second-largest employer, adopted a $1.66 billion budget for fiscal year 2026-27 that includes program cuts and more than 30 layoffs. County officials had initially projected needing more than 200 layoffs but reduced that by over 80% through budget tightening and employee reassignments. The cuts are attributed to federal and state funding reductions and revenue shortfalls, and the new county CEO Jana Petersen cited ongoing uncertainty about future funding as a major challenge. Petersen takes over responsibilities amid these workforce reductions while focusing on priorities such as climate change, equity and maintaining essential services.
Santa Barbara County cut 30 jobs in CA.
That is roughly 0.5% of the 6,000 people Santa Barbara County employs.
LayoffTalk has tracked 2 layoff events at Santa Barbara County since June 2026, with 2 additional events known from news reporting.
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