County Sheriff Accuses County Commissioners of "shortchanging" the Sheriff's Department.

Vista County Commission had denied equipment and personnel finances for the sheriff's department. Commissioners voted 5-2 against Sheriff Gus Dicesari request for new cruisers and deputies at a meeting last Thursday afternoon.

"Your putting the lives of the people of this county in jeopardy," Dicesari said.

Dicesari said the eight police vehicles they have now have over 150,000 miles on them and need to be replaced. Commission President Anne Chenn disagreed. Chenn says the county does not have the money to fulfill those requests.

The county's budget this year was $127 million, most of it was spent on a new prison and also to increased costs for employees health care and fuel costs.

Dicesari made it clear that this is the first time in 27 years that the county has not allocated money to the sheriff's department to buy new equipment.

"My deputies can't keep driving these old vehicles. Something bad is going to happen," he said.

Several commission members agree with Dicesari, and several disagree. Two commission members that agreed with Dicesari, Anita Shenuski and Raymond Laybourne, blamed the shortage of funds on the recent influx of migrant workers in the area. They said during the meeting that the county should spend more money on law enforcement and less on migrant programs.

Chenn denies that immigrants are a problem,"Those people who come here to work are decent, hardworking people being employed at jobs local residents don't want. They add a great deal to the local economy and they pay taxes." Chenn then accused Shenuski of being a hypocrite for blaming the migrants for everything.

Commissioner Jose Gardez said many of the migrant workers become permanent members of the community, opening businesses and eventually earning citizenship.

Chenn suggested that deputies not drive their cruisers home each day. She said that would make more cars available and preserve mileage. Then the sheriff came back saying, that letting the deputies drive the vehicles home each day and parking them in their neighborhoods is a major deterrent to crime.

The sheriff's departments will have to make do this year because the county does not have the additional $580,000 it would need to supply Dicesari with what he claims to need.