San Diego County Supervisors OK $9.16B Budget

SAN DIEGO, CA — The San Diego County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a $9.16 billion annual budget Thursday, which "bolsters public safety to meet Proposition 36 responsibilities" and supports health and safety-net programs affected by federal budget cuts, officials said.

The vote followed months of planning, several public hearings, including one Thursday, and a recent budget revision.

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Board Chair Terra Lawson-Remer -- who brought her 5-week-old baby girl to Thursday's meeting -- described the budget as one "built for the moment we are in."

"It has not been an easy year, but we are stronger because of this hard work," she added.

According to a statement from Lawson-Remer's office, the new budget absorbs $68.4 million in first-year impacts from U.S. House Resolution 1, which passed last year and included numerous cuts to benefit programs.

Broken down, the $68.4 million includes $7.9 million for CalFresh staffing and workload, $15.8 million for CalFresh administrative cost shifts and $44.7 million set aside for mid-year implementation costs and emerging federal impacts not yet fully quantified.

Deputy Chief Administrative Officer Joan Bracci said the budget is balanced, adding, "We don't operate at a deficit."

Amy Thompson, deputy chief financial officer, told supervisors that the budget reflected modest growth in a targeted and strategic manner.

"To get here, we've looked closely at emerging needs," Thompson said during a presentation.

She said that the California state budget is still being finalized.

"The state has a challenging economic outlook, but we're committed to ensuring the county's voice is heard," Thompson added.

"Advocacy takes courage, even when it's just speaking up at the podium," Supervisor Paloma Aguirre said. She said that those who want spending cuts are basically saying, "It's OK to leave people behind."

Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe said the county can't prevent federal cuts, but "we can act here at home, and we have."

Supervisor Jim Desmond said he liked much of the new budget, including $98 million more for public safety, funding for youth crisis services and not scaling back on road maintenance and library projects.

However, he took issue with spending $13 million on the Immigrant Legal Defense Program, creating a separate consumer protection division and tapping into county reserves.

"It turns out the sky is not falling," in terms of how the Trump administration's cuts will affect Americans, Desmond added.

During Thursday's public comment period, more than 50 residents offered their thoughts on county funding. Many activists praised the ILDP, and supported spending $250,000 on a feasibility study for a proposed youth development department.

"When this county invests wisely, it lifts up long-time residents and newcomers alike, " business owner and activist Rachel Lozano Castro said. "That's the San Diego I believe in; that's the San Diego I want to live in. These are not just programs, these are lifelines."

Mary Davis said the budget actually has a services deficit, and officials should produce a chart highlighting that. Davis suggested the county needed to focus on infrastructure and other critical needs. "Whatever the city of San Diego is doing, you (should) do the opposite," she added.

Others criticized the county for spending so much on law enforcement, with one person saying, "Giving more money to the sheriff does not make people feel safer."

The county's total public safety budget is roughly $3 billion.

The county revised its annual budget proposal on June 12 from $9.15 billion, with the higher figure reflecting public feedback and recommendations from the chief administrative officer. The county had unveiled a $9.15 billion fiscal year 2026-27 budget on May 18.

The new budget is $522 million, or 6.1% larger than the last one, according to officials, with some funding shifts.

The county added $15.3 million more, and 31 jobs, to Behavioral Health Services, which is becoming its own department. BHS will now increase 12.4% to $1.4 billion in funding.

The Department of Public Works will increase by $2.8 million to cover contracted services for utilities and road improvements.

In the public safety arena, the Sheriff's Office will get an additional full-time position, bringing total county staffing to 20,389, an increase of 109 over the current fiscal year.

The Cal Fresh program will receive an extra $500,000.

The budget also includes funding in response to the pollution crisis in the Tijuana River Valley.

Other budget highlights include:

-- $25.6 million for watershed protection efforts to reduce ocean pollution and promote clean beaches, healthy ecosystems and safe drinking water;

-- $93.1 million to develop and maintain affordable and supportive housing;

-- $268.7 million for road safety and maintenance projects;

-- $71.5 million for library operations;

-- $84.5 million to strengthen firefighting and emergency medical services in unincorporated areas of the county;

-- $852 million to support programs such as CalFresh, CalWORKs, Medi- Cal and general relief;

-- $502 million for "family strengthening, prevention and child protection services"; and

-- $235.6 million for community health services such as epidemic prevention, disease control, public health centers, home visiting programs and pharmaceutical services.

A budget summary is available at sandiegocounty.gov/content/sdc/openbudget/en/budget-summary.html.

— City News Service