Multnomah County District Attorney Nathan Vasquez is warning that the county’s newly finalized fiscal-year 2027 budget will force his office into painful tradeoffs, with possible cuts to staff and core services. He says those reductions could undo recent gains in convictions and other public-safety metrics, just as county commissioners wrap up a budget meant to plug a growing general-fund gap.
DA Slams Budget At Press Conference
Speaking at a press conference, Vasquez accused the board of commissioners of getting its priorities backwards. He said the board had "doubled down on failed programs and decided to defund the district attorney's office in a way that is wildly out of step with this community's values," as reported by KATU.
The station livestreamed the event, where Vasquez said his office is "facing hard choices" about which cases it can and cannot pursue, signaling that not every case that lands on a prosecutor’s desk is guaranteed to move forward under the new spending plan.
Budget Math And County Priorities
Chair Jessica Vega Pederson's executive proposal outlines roughly a $3.9 billion spending plan and asks departments to trim about 5% of base spending. The draft calls for a near-5% reduction for the DA's office while adding about $870,000 to expand a Digital Evidence Management Unit, according to Multnomah County. County officials say the general fund faces an $11.1 million shortfall and that difficult tradeoffs were necessary to balance the budget.
Caseloads And The DA's Budget Pitch
In a February transmittal to the chair, Vasquez argued that "Sustaining this progress requires maintaining baseline prosecutorial, investigative, and victim service capacity," pointing to the volume of work his office is handling. He noted that the office processed more than 5,200 felonies and 8,800 misdemeanors in FY 2025, according to the DA’s budget transmittal (MCDA transmittal).
The document sets out priorities that include victim services, specialty prosecutions and a push to speed the handling of body-camera and other digital evidence, which county leaders are also trying to support through the expanded Digital Evidence Management Unit.
What Is On The Line
Recent reporting has highlighted how Multnomah County's general fund is squeezed while many revenue streams are legally restricted, leaving limited room to backfill cuts, as Willamette Week has explained. Advocates and some county leaders warn that reductions in attorney positions or victim-advocate roles could slow casework, delay filings and put extra pressure on community partners that support victims and witnesses.
What Happens Next
The board's vote closes the formal budget process for FY 2027, but the real impacts will be felt over the summer as departments translate allocations into staffing levels and program decisions. Vasquez has said his office will review its priorities and present options to the public and the board if cuts ultimately force changes to existing programs.
