Ventura County OKs $955-Million Plan

Ventura County will beef up enforcement of pesticide regulations, temporarily extend the life of a homeless shelter and expand services for the mentally ill under a $955-million budget approved Tuesday.

Supervisors approved minor adjustments to the fiscal 1999-2000 spending plan during a final hearing Tuesday, adding funds for a deputy public defender to assist mentally ill defendants and money for three community aides to help foster parents.

But the budget largely reflects the county’s strategy of holding off on big spending increases until the treasury’s true health for the coming year is certain. Many department managers with hands out were asked to return to the board in October, when the exact amount of state revenue and other funding sources will be settled.

“It’s a hold-the-line budget,� said Bert Bigler, the county’s chief budget manager. “We have to wait until we see what the state does with its budget.�

The board, however, veered from that approach to bestow a few extra dollars for select departments. For instance, supervisors added two inspectors and a manager to the troubled Agricultural Department.

The department has been under fire for months by homeowners and environmental groups, who say the county has been lax in its enforcement of pesticide regulations. Agricultural Commissioner Earl McPhail told supervisors Tuesday that the extra workers would boost his bare-bones staffing and allow him to keep up with complaints about pesticide drift.

McPhail said he intends to come back in three months with a request for two additional inspectors, a move supervisors indicated they would support.

“We really do not have any choice,� Supervisor John K. Flynn said. “The public has made it a high priority for us.�

Supervisors also approved a $188,000 request to operate a Camarillo homeless shelter. The county’s dollars, along with funding from Oxnard and Camarillo, allow the RAIN shelter to remain open four more months, operator Kathy Jenks said.

Jenks said she very likely will return to the board and lobby for additional funding for the balance of the year. Jenks agreed with supervisors’ comments that other cities need to come up with dollars to keep the countywide facility open.

Ventura residents typically make up 45% of shelter clients, but the city does not contribute to its operations, Jenks said. The shelter now houses 54 homeless people, including dozens of children.

Behavioral Health Director David Gudeman’s $1.5-million plan to build more housing for the county’s mentally ill received a $200,000 boost from supervisors. Although the board delayed paying for the entire request, Gudeman said he will use the money to draw up a comprehensive housing plan.

One of Gudeman’s priorities is to build more supervised shelters for mentally ill patients who are not sick enough to be in the hospital but are unable to care for themselves. The $200,000 for planning is just the first step, Gudeman said.

“This will allow us to get started on a fix,� he said.

The mental health agency, which has been rocked by political infighting and regulatory oversight for more than a year, will also use $1.3 million of its upcoming budget to expand children’s services. More money is available to provide psychiatric therapy, physicians and foster care for mentally ill youngsters.

As in past years, the biggest budget increases went to the county sheriff. Supervisors approved more than $2 million in additional funding for the Sheriff’s Department, money that will be used to hire 20 deputies, specialized personnel and clerical staff.

The district attorney’s office received a $416,000 appropriation to add nine clerical positions. Much of the increased spending is offset by grants and Proposition 172 revenue, generated by a half-cent sales tax approved by voters in 1993.