Monterey County's $2.34B Budget Cuts 111 Positions as Natividad Flags $89M in At-Risk Federal Funding

Monterey County released its ~$2.34 billion FY2026-27 recommended budget with hearings opening May 27. Although total spending rises 5.3% year-over-year, the budget cuts 111 (largely vacant) positions, and Natividad — the county's safety-net hospital — reports roughly $89 million in supplemental federal funding at risk under H.R. 1. This is the county-fiscal and hospital-backstop angle, distinct from the already-tracked 'Esperanza Care 2.0' undocumented-coverage relaunch: a weakened Natividad strains the specialty-referral backstop that Salinas Valley FQHCs (Clínica de Salud del Valle de Salinas, Salud Para La Gente) rely on for their agricultural-worker patients.