Salinas’ city budget for the upcoming year includes a whopping $30 million increase.

Salinas City Council reviewed the first draft of the 2022-2023 city budget on Tuesday, May 17. The good news is that despite recession fears and pandemic impacts, the $232.4 million budget projects a $30 million increase over last fiscal year. With the increase, the city will look to restoring 24 positions across all departments.

The Salinas Police Department gets the largest portion of the city’s discretionary spending by department, 43 percent (the fire department is number two, with 21 percent). SPD’s recommended budget includes a $4.5 million increase over last year. That is compared to a $1.3 million reduction to its 2021-22 budget following public outcry from residents and grassroots organizations aligned with a movement to divert funds from the police and instead fund community services.

“Community safety is more than the police. It includes our parks and rec programs, includes our streets, includes our lighting in the city and you can’t do that with the way the budget is structured today,” says Cesar Lara, executive director of the Monterey Bay Central Labor Council and director for policy and programs at criminal justice reform group MILPA.

This year’s proposed budget includes $300,000 toward prevention and intervention programs. Lara says it’s a step in the right direction.

The proposed police budget would create new civilian positions, including multi-service officers. These officers would aid police processing intakes – which can take up to three hours – reducing the amount of time an officer has to spend away from patrolling.

“We can create better relations between our public safety officers and the folks that are most in need of help in this community,” says City Councilmember Carla Viviana González, who last year voted for the reduced PD budget (but also a raise for officers). She says she will support multi-services officers since they would help groups including unsheltered individuals and those suffering from drug addiction.

“I think that our budget is becoming more and more community-centered, and resident-driven,” González says. “We had more opportunities for public engagement.”

Specifically, city officials started public outreach on the budget last December, instead of February, for a fiscal year that begins July 1. Residents participated in surveys and three city-wide community meetings, as well as district-wide meetings.

In González’s case, constituents requested more investments in the Alisal neighborhood. “When it started, it had very little money. Last year, we invested $3 million [and] this year, we’re going to invest more,” she says.

City Manager Steve Carrigan notes a shift toward some of the investments that have for too long been unfunded in Salinas. That includes fixing sidewalks and roads, facade painting programs for small businesses and after-school programs. He expects people will notice changes citywide, but says they will be seen first in the Alisal neighborhood since Hebbron Family Center and Closter Park will be under construction.