# Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors 09/29/2026 Special Meeting - State of the County 2026

At the Santa Cruz County Board of Supervisors’ special State of the County meeting on September 29, 2026, Chair Martinez and County Executive Officer Nicole Coburn reviewed county initiatives and financial pressures. Reported projects and services included the Hope Forward youth behavioral-health facility, homelessness programs, housing projects, parks, and emergency preparedness and road maintenance. Measure Q’s first competitive funding round awarded $2.74 million to 18 projects involving parks, public access, water quality, habitat, and wildfire prevention. The county also allocated $500,000 to Second Harvest Food Bank during a disruption to food assistance. No contract awards, procurement votes, or bid approvals were reported.

Coburn reported an adopted FY 2026–27 budget of about $1.4 billion across all funds, including an $861 million General Fund, and forecast a roughly $30 million General Fund shortfall next year and $285 million in cumulative gaps over six years if operations remain unchanged. The county is using hiring and travel restrictions and reviewing efficiencies, programs, and service consolidation. She described Measure E, a proposed temporary half-cent countywide sales tax that would generate an estimated $27 million annually for five years if approved by voters, and ongoing exploration of enhanced infrastructure financing districts to support roads, utilities, housing, wildfire resilience, and other improvements. The address also covered permit-process streamlining and the need to sustain infrastructure and services; public comments raised questions about Measure E, road funding, and county parks spending.

**Jurisdictions:** sled
**Industries:** Construction & Infrastructure, Healthcare
**Topics:** Grants & Funding, Physical Infrastructure
**Published:** September 29, 2026

### Sources
- [Santa Cruz Board of Supervisors 09/29/2026 Special Meeting - State of the County 2026](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HFUWuLxnvbA) - CTV Santa Cruz County