Saratoga Sticks With Sheriff for Policing, Passing on a Los Gatos Offer Pitched to Save $2.7 Million

Saratoga will keep the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office as its police provider after the City Council voted 4-1 late Wednesday, Oct. 7, to stay in its current contract instead of switching to the Los Gatos-Monte Sereno Police Department.

The choice in front of the council

The sheriff's office has policed Saratoga for about 70 years. The city recently signed a new five-year contract with the county, as did Cupertino and Los Altos Hills, but Saratoga's version lets it opt out after the first year. Had the council used that option, Los Gatos-Monte Sereno police would have taken over in November 2027, NBC Bay Area reported.

City Manager Leslie Arroyo told the council that when Saratoga received the county's proposal in 2025, the city already expected policing costs to rise faster than its revenue. That led the city to ask its neighbor for an alternative.

The Los Gatos-Monte Sereno department is run by the Town of Los Gatos and has served Monte Sereno for 30 years. Its proposal for Saratoga would cost about $9.7 million a year, which the department said would save the city roughly $2.7 million. Its chief told the council the plan would add staff positions and open a police substation in Saratoga.

Why the majority stayed put

After hours of discussion and questions, a majority voted to keep the sheriff's contract. Even council members who supported it told the sheriff's office they want more data and transparency in the future about how Saratoga's money is spent on policing, according to NBC Bay Area. The council asked city staff to gather more information on spending and how deputies' time is used to support oversight of the contract.

The vote ends a year-long evaluation that included public meetings, town halls and an online survey, according to the city's law enforcement services page. Any switch would have required approval from both Saratoga and Los Gatos.

What it means for residents

For now, nothing changes day to day: sheriff's deputies will continue patrolling Saratoga under the existing agreement. The cost question isn't going away, though, and the requested data will shape how closely the council watches the contract in coming years.