Proposed 2026-27 Budget

Overall Budget Summary

The Proposed Budget recommends status quo staffing of 23.0 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions, including negotiated salary and benefit increases. Appropriations total $4,599,752, funded by revenues of $2,096,080 and a General Fund contribution of $2,503,672.

The Budget reflects expense increases of $402,915, largely due to higher overhead costs not recovered through the County’s Cost Allocation Plan, negotiated salary and benefit increases, and changes in facility charges to properly reflect the cost of facility services and utilities. These increases support ongoing legal services, including litigation and advisory work across County departments. Revenues increase by $23,787, primarily due to growth in charges associated with property tax administration fees, legal fees, mobile home occupancy fees, and the County’s self-insured risk management program, driven by increased legal activity and litigation workload. These increases are partially offset by decreases in civil penalties and overhead charges.

The net result of the Proposed Budget is an overall net increase of $ 379,128, funded by an increase in General Fund Contribution of $135,872 and a one-time use of General Fund Reserves of $243,256.

Federal Policy Changes and Litigation: County Counsel participates in the County Executive Office’s Federal Policy Response Team and provides legal review and analysis of federal actions. Ongoing litigation and federal policy changes, including Presidential Executive Orders and agency directives, are affecting funding and program requirements that support critical safety net and community services. These changes increase the need for legal analysis and advisory support across departments. Continued federal policy shifts may result in additional workload and require ongoing monitoring and response in future fiscal years.

Increased Legal and Advisory Workload: County Counsel continues to experience increased workload across multiple service areas, including Public Records Act requests, Lanterman-Petris-Short (LPS) Act and mental health proceedings (including CARE Court and Senate Bill 43 implementation), civil litigation, and analytical support requests from departments. This growth reflects rising legal complexity, expanded program requirements, and increased demand for timely legal and policy analysis. Sustained increases in workload may impact response times and require prioritization of services or additional resources in future fiscal years.

Artificial Intelligence in Legal Services: The use of artificial intelligence (AI) in performing County legal services is under evaluation as tools become more reliable, available, and accepted for legal practice. While County Counsel does not currently use generative or “creative” AI for legal work, options are becoming increasingly available for doing so (e.g., through platforms such as LEXIS+ AI Protege). At the same time, use of AI in the legal profession has been controversial. For example, it is well documented that generative AI can produce false legal citations and unreliable content. When this material has been submitted to courts, it has caused inefficiencies and reputational harm and led to monetary sanctions for attorneys. There is also continuing uncertainty about whether use of generative AI is protected by the attorney-client privilege. Of course, this is a rapidly changing area, and we anticipate that these problems will be resolved over time. Several of our staff members have attended trainings on the use of AI in the legal profession, and as AI tools continue to be developed, our office will continue to monitor options for safely accommodating their use in our work.