People’s Budget for Santa Cruz County

Check out our People’s Budget Slidedeck and Letter

In the fall of 2023, SURJ Santa Cruz County began a collaboration with our accountability partner, MILPA, to do a local “Study and Action” focused on our county jails, how they are failing us, and how to make our communities safer by investing in healthcare and housing instead of carceral systems. Much of what we learned is summarized in this Santa Cruz County 2024 People’s Budget slidedeck and letter. 

Here’s our slidedeck from our People’s Budget Webinar highlighting our input to the Santa Cruz County budget:

On June 3rd, we submitted this letter, signed (over only a few days) by 13 organizations and 125 individuals to the County Board of Supervisors.

Would you or a group you are involved with like to help us continue to study and take action to ensure our tax dollars are used in ways that support genuine safety and justice? Would you like to be part of helping to make systemic change to our county budget to ensure that behavioral health (mental health and substance use disorder) and emergency shelter services are prioritized?
If you do, please email us at info@surjsantacruzcounty.org.  We know that we are stronger together.