Saratoga, Cupertino, Los Altos Hills Propose Counter to Sheriff's Contract Hike

The three Bay Area cities aim to negotiate a more gradual cost increase with Santa Clara County.

Mar. 29, 2026 at 1:42pm

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The mayors of Saratoga, Cupertino, and Los Altos Hills have introduced a counterproposal to the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office's new contract offer, which would significantly increase the cities' public safety costs. The existing 10-year contract is set to expire in June, and the county is seeking full cost recovery, leading to hundreds of thousands to millions in additional annual expenses for the municipalities. The cities' counterproposal calls for a more gradual, phased-in approach to the cost increases over several years.

Why it matters

The proposed contract hike has put financial strain on the three cities, which are known as 'donor cities' that pay more in taxes to the county than they receive in services. The cities are exploring alternatives like contracting with other law enforcement agencies or starting their own police departments if a deal cannot be reached with the county.

The details

The existing 10-year contract between the three cities and the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office is set to expire in June. The county is now seeking full cost recovery for providing law enforcement services, which would increase Saratoga's annual contract by $2.9 million, Cupertino's by $7.5 million, and Los Altos Hills' by nearly $900,000. The cities argue these hikes are 'out of line with actual policing costs' and are driven by overhead charges unrelated to frontline services.

  • The current 10-year contract between the cities and the county expires in June 2026.
  • The cities introduced their counterproposal to the county on March 23, 2026.

The players

James Williams

The Santa Clara County Executive, who said the county has an obligation to ensure full cost recovery for contracted police services.

Chuck Page

The mayor of Saratoga, who said the city would find the proposed cost increases 'much more palatable' if they could be phased in over time.

Rajiv Bhateja

The mayor of Los Altos Hills, who said the town may have to cut staff or delay projects to afford the new contract.

Kitty Moore

The mayor of Cupertino, who did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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What they’re saying

“All we are seeking here is to ensure actual full cost recovery, nothing more but nothing less than full cost recovery.”

— James Williams, Santa Clara County Executive

“If we had the ability to spread out these overhead costs and pay whatever the deputies increases are in the first year, and have them really sharpen their pencils and figure out what true overhead costs are allocated to us as a city for the services we use, that would be much more palatable.”

— Chuck Page, Mayor of Saratoga

“We're not a net user of county services; we're a net donor of county services.”

— Rajiv Bhateja, Mayor of Los Altos Hills

What’s next

The cities and the county will continue negotiating the contract terms, with a goal of reaching an agreement before the current deal expires in June 2026.

The takeaway

This dispute highlights the financial challenges facing smaller cities that rely on county-provided public safety services, as well as the broader debate over how to equitably allocate the costs of law enforcement across different jurisdictions.