By The mayors of Los Altos Hills, Cupertino and Saratoga
Public safety is a shared priority across Santa Clara County. For decades, Los Altos Hills, Cupertino and Saratoga have partnered closely with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office for professional, responsive law enforcement services. We value the dedicated law enforcement officers who serve our communities, and we appreciate the collaborative relationship our cities have long maintained with the County.
However, recent events raise serious concerns.
On the evening of Dec. 31, the Sheriff’s Office surprised us with their proposed contract, which will raise our costs by 36%.
Let us be clear: fair and reasonable cost increases are expected. Policing costs rise over time due to labor agreements, benefits, equipment and inflation. Our cities have consistently planned for and absorbed those increases. What we cannot support are contract increases that are out of line with the actual growth in policing costs and driven by significant overhead cost allocation charges unrelated to the increased cost of front-line officers and direct service delivery.
Over the past five years, the cost of policing across the region has increased at a steady, manageable pace. However, these proposed new charges to our cities show a sharply different trajectory. This increase is more than five times the previous annual contract rate increases, and, according to our research, is driven largely by overhead cost allocation charges rather than direct policing costs.
These increases are not merely accounting adjustments. The magnitude of the proposed cost increases will have severe impacts on our city budgets and will jeopardize essential services for our residents. Funding for staff salaries, parks, libraries, road maintenance, recreation programs and community services for seniors and families all come from the same limited municipal resources.
When one cost category grows disproportionately, residents ultimately pay the price — through reduced services, lack of maintenance or increased local taxes and fees. Asking contract cities to absorb excessive increases to shore up County budget shortfalls is neither equitable nor sustainable.
Our cities have always been committed partners with the County and regional public safety efforts. We routinely support multi-jurisdictional initiatives and regional pursuits because collaboration strengthens public safety for everyone. But partnership must be mutual. Contract cities cannot be expected to backfill broader County budget challenges through opaque overhead charges that grow faster than the cost of actual policing.
We are calling for transparency and alignment between costs and services. Increases should be clearly tied to deputies, supervision, training, equipment and reasonable administrative support. Overhead charges that rise faster than front-line policing costs — and that are disconnected from service levels — undermine trust and strain long-standing relationships.
When residents see clear visual comparisons — five-year trend lines or per-capita cost charts — the issue becomes evident. These proposed increases are an outlier, not the norm. Transparent data benefits everyone by grounding discussions in facts rather than assumptions.
Our goal is not conflict; it is sustainability. We are asking the County to reduce unreasonable overhead costs being imposed on contract cities and to keep future cost increases consistent with the true cost of policing. With collaboration, data-driven analysis and good-faith negotiation, a fair and reasonable agreement is well within reach.
At the same time, we have a responsibility to our residents. If these proposed changes are not meaningfully reduced, our cities will have no other option than to explore alternative approaches to providing law enforcement services. That is not our preferred outcome, but fiscal stewardship requires us to evaluate all responsible options.
Public safety works best when partnerships are built on fairness, transparency and mutual respect. We stand ready to continue working with the County and the Sheriff’s Office to uphold those principles — for our residents and for the long-term strength of our region.
We urge County management to work with our cities to achieve a fair and balanced solution.
Rajiv Bhateja is mayor of Los Altos Hills. Kitty Moore is mayor of Cupertino. And Chuck Page is mayor of Saratoga.
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