Santa Barbara County Grand Jury • 2025-2026

What’s Up With the Excessive Overtime?

Published: June 02, 2026 17 pages
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Findings and Recommendations 4 findings

F1
The Memo of Understanding (MOU) between Santa Barbara County and the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association contains provisions that compound the overtime issues within the Sheriff’s Office.
Related Recommendations (2)
R1a
The Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors negotiate with the Deputy Sheriffs’ Association to revise the Memorandum of Understanding to disallow the use of leave balances as time worked.
R1b
The Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff set a maximum number of overtime hours per employee per pay period unless approved by a Lieutenant or higher level of management. To be completed
F2
Staff and managerial training are provided to the Sheriff’s Office by the County but, historically, management have not been accountable for evaluating and implementing that training.
Related Recommendations (2)
R2a
The Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff implement an improved Employee Performance Review system that holds staff and management accountable to manage overtime. To be completed
R2b
The Grand Jury recommends that the Sheriff implement a quarterly review of management practices including timecard approvals and overtime shift approvals. To be completed
F3
The current payroll system is ineffective for the Sheriff’s needs today. It does not allow the Sheriffs’ Office to effectively track, analyze, or report regular hours and overtime for a dynamic and mobile workforce.
Related Recommendations (1)
R3
The Grand Jury recommends that the County and the Sheriff work together to accelerate the build-out and installation of Workday (the new countywide payroll and human resources management system) for the Sheriff. To be completed
F4
Increased staffing costs are exacerbated by the administration of two jail facilities.
Related Recommendations (1)
R4
The Grand Jury recommends that the Board of Supervisors and the Sheriff work together to create a decommissioning plan for the Main South County Jail with the goal of closing that facility as quickly as possible. To be completed

No Responses Found 2

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Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors Elected County Office
Santa Barbara County Sheriff Elected County Office

In the News 2

News coverage of this report, automatically tracked.

New report calls for closing Santa Barbara County's main jail to cut Sheriff's Office overtime - KCLU
KCLU · June 10, 2026
Grand Jury Report: Sheriff's Office Overtime Spending Nearly Double Budget, Recommends Jail Closure - edhat
edhat · June 10, 2026