Agricultural Commissioner
Overview
Mission Statement
To serve the public's interest by ensuring equity in the marketplace, promoting and protecting agriculture, assuring environmental quality, and protecting the health, safety, and welfare of Santa Cruz County's citizens.
Department Overview
The Agricultural Commissioner Department plays a critical role in promoting and protecting the county's agricultural sector while ensuring that consumers are protected, and the environment remains clean and healthy. The Agricultural Commissioner Department comprises three divisions: the County Agricultural Commissioner, Weights & Measures, and Vector Control. The County Agricultural Commissioner enforces the provisions of the California Food and Agricultural Code to promote and protect the production, sale, and distribution of food, feed, and horticultural crops. Weights & Measures ensures equity in the marketplace through regulations to protect consumers from fraud, deception, and unfair business practices. Vector Control provides public health pest protection through mosquito surveillance and control. The division follows Integrated Pest Management practices, including education, biological control, source reduction, and the use of least-toxic pesticide interventions for minimal impact on people, wildlife, and the environment.
Budget Summary
Department Budget Overview
Budget Summary of Changes
The Agricultural Commissioner budget is status quo with scheduled and negotiated salary and benefit increases. The budget includes funding to explore the feasibility of implementing an additional special benefit assessment. The goal of this assessment is to address the long-term fiscal sustainability of the division, while also accounting for the increasing workload brought on by the impacts of climate change. This funding will help to the division better understand the potential benefits and challenges of such an assessment, and whether it can be a viable solution for the division's financial and operational needs in the face of ongoing climate-related challenges.
Adopted Budget Summary of Changes
The Adopted Budget adds $500,278 in expenditures and $245,766 in revenues. The changes are from $254,512 in 2023-24 unspent contract expenditures that continue into 2024-25, and $245,766 in expenditures and revenues added as part of 2024-25 concluding budget actions.
Open the Services Overview or Operational Plan Objectives below for more details.
Department Services and Objectives
Footnotes
1 – Indicates change from FY 2021-22 Allowed Budget
2 – General Fund Contribution is the share of General County Revenues (primarily property tax and other local taxes) allocated to each department. Other funds that contribute to this budget are shown on the Budget Details page.
3 – Indicates change from FY 2021-22 Adjusted Funded Positions (including Board-approved mid-year changes as of April 1, 2022).
Budget Details
The charts below show department expenditures and revenues by division and service. Click on the pie charts to drill down for more detail. Complete detail can be found on the County's Transparency Portal.
Expenses by Service
Expenses and Revenues over time
Personnel Details
The chart below provides the department personnel detail by division, service, and classification.