The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us a lot. It has revealed the disparity in our social structure that leads to so many fundamental problems. It has demonstrated that the world is not prepared for many disasters. We have seen the first “political” public health crisis in history and the damage that polarized misinformation can cause. More hard lessons are in our future as the pandemic continues. However, in Santa Clara County, we have seen many positive and encouraging realities. While the County will continue to struggle with the impacts of the pandemic and the ongoing provision of COVID-19 related services in the coming year, it is vital to note the positive outcomes of all the cutting-edge actions we have taken to reduce the impact of the pandemic on the community we serve. Over the last two years, these actions had a very real impact - the County's actions have saved the lives of the people we love, and live next to, and work with. These are not just inspirational feelings or words, but real lives saved.

The FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget is presented with a sense of budding optimism and hope for the future. The pandemic has laid bare the extent to which the County touches the lives of all members of our community. Especially during the most difficult times over the last two years, County employees, in-home care providers, and our community partners continued to provide essential safety net services to those in need. Together, we continue to protect and ensure the community's right to participate in elections . . . guarantee accessible library resources . . . provide police, medical and fire services . . . maintain miles of expressways that travelers use every day . . . deliver care in our hospitals and clinics . . . help our community's poorest and most vulnerable with supportive housing . . . preserve birth, marriage, and death records . . . assist victims of crimes . . . safeguard the support services that keep people safe and at home when they can't care for themselves . . . deliver food and nutrition support for families, seniors, children . . . prevent disease and create healthy environments . . . offer behavioral health services . . . sustain regional parklands for enjoyment and inspiration . . . protect the agricultural industry . . . and so much more.

Now more than ever, it is an absolute necessity to infuse sustainability and resiliency into County operations and the services we provide to the community. We have done that by taking advantage of opportunities like critically needed federal COVID-19 relief funding. Among many initiatives that support a resilient workforce and operation, we have put in place a permanent disaster service worker team to support vaccination efforts. We have also rebuilt and reinforced our public health infrastructure. Addressing disparities and racism in our society and in our own County operations continues to demand our attention, and to that end we are incorporating principles of equity in policy and budget decisions across all County departments, including implementation of the Government Alliance on Race and Equity framework.

In the coming year, we will continue to play a critical role in the pandemic response along with focusing our attention on safety net services for our community. We cannot do this alone. We rely on our community partners to fulfill their roles as well, for the betterment of our community. Together we can set and achieve audacious goals, like the newly opened Vietnamese American Service Center (VASC) that is a model for integrated and accessible health and human services. Achieving audacious goals takes time, the commitment of all stakeholders, and careful implementation of resources. By doing so, we fulfill our commitments to the community and the people we serve.

The Adopted Budget provides the County with a responsible spending plan, structurally balanced within the resources available to the County, and provides a foundation to conduct budget hearings commencing June 13, 2022, that will conclude with adoption of the budget on June 16, 2022.  For more information, please visit FY 2022-23 Adopted Budget.