Cupertino approves law enforcement contract after long fight

Cupertino officials have reluctantly agreed to sign a new contract with the Santa Clara County Sheriff’s Office amid a long fight against a significant rate increase.

The five-year contract for law enforcement services, unanimously approved by the City Council on Tuesday, starts Oct. 1 and is retroactive to July 1. Cupertino’s annual fee of $19 million jumps by roughly 34%, or $6.4 million, to $25.4 million — a much bigger increase than previous years and more than the city had anticipated.

The county put pressure on the city to accept the agreement, including a strongly worded letter from Sheriff Bob Jonsen.

“The Sheriff’s Office will, effective October 1, 2026, reassign all personnel currently dedicated to Cupertino to funded vacancies in other divisions” if the contract is not signed,” Jonsen wrote in a letter dated Sept. 10. “No personnel or support staff will remain assigned to provide dedicated law enforcement services within the city.”

Any bad feelings were temporarily put aside after the vote, with Jonsen and Cupertino Mayor Kitty Moore shaking hands.

The dispute began in January when the county proposed sizable rate hikes for the three cities served by the sheriff’s West Valley Patrol Division — Cupertino, Los Altos Hills and Saratoga. The cities banded together to fight the increase, hiring a PR firm and setting up a website.

“The cost increases were substantial and unexplained, far exceeding growth in comparable California jurisdictions,” Moore said at a Sept. 9 community meeting. “We are not asking for the impossible. We are asking for legal compliance and transparent accounting.”

In June, the two sides agreed to a three-month extension of contract talks through Sept. 30.

In August, the three cities released an independent auditor report that said the county was wrongly charging $10.7 million in annual overhead in violation of state law – an amount roughly equal to the proposed increase. County officials disagreed and said the overhead accounting is compliant.

Saratoga approved its new contract with the sheriff’s office on Aug. 19. However, the city is still considering a potential partnership with the Los Gatos–Monte Sereno Police Department as an alternative. Los Altos Hills approved the contract on Aug. 31.

Cupertino intended to fight on alone and asked the county for a second three-month extension. But County Executive James R. Williams denied that request in a Sept. 13 email to the city.

“The Sheriff’s Office is quite clearly the most cost-effective pathway forward even under the new contract methodology,” Williams said. “I continue to believe that the best use of our collective time is in engaging in thoughtful and collaborative strategies that mutually reduce the growth in cost. … Continued engagement in back-and-forth on this current contract is not going to further those efforts.” 

Santa Clara County Supervisor Margaret Abe-Koga, who represents District 5 which includes Cupertino, said the sheriff’s deputies working in the city needed clarity.

“They have been living with uncertainty for the past three months and longer,” Abe-Koga told San José Spotlight. “They cannot go month to month wondering, ‘Where do I report next week? What will my hours be? What childcare arrangements will I need to make?’ Additionally, (Williams) was clear with all (three) cities at a meeting at the end of May that this would be the one extension.”

Santa Clara County’s resistance is not surprising given its budget pressures, which required cutting services in June to eliminate a $787 million deficit.

Cupertino also faces budget pressures, but for now is avoiding any cuts in people or programs.

“We have budgeted the full amount (of the new sheriff’s contract) for the current fiscal year (ending June 30, 2027), resulting in a temporary deficit supported by available fund balance,” City Manager Tina Kapoor told San José Spotlight. “We are hoping the costs will come down in future years, or (there will be) increased revenues, so the city does not have to consider service reductions.”

Contact Mike Langberg at [email protected].