Mayor Todd Gloria is proposing to reduce library and recreation center hours, pause arts and culture funding and scale back bike-lane expansion to balance a $118 million deficit for the upcoming year.
But his $6.4 billion budget, which needs City Council approval before the end of June, protects homeless services and road repairs, while increasing funding for firefighters and police.
Gloria released his budget proposal for the coming year Wednesday, saying that it makes “targeted, across-the-board decisions to restore balance and protect the city’s long-term financial health.”
Translation: It’s full of cuts.
Gloria said that although San Diegans will feel the city’s cuts, the core services that people prioritized in budgetary discussions and surveys will be preserved.
“This is a balanced, responsible budget that confronts a $118 million deficit directly,” the mayor said. “It makes the tough decisions now – including targeted reductions to staffing and support functions – to protect the services San Diegans rely on and keep the city on solid footing.”
City jobs will be affected, he said, from reducing the current workforce to keeping open positions vacant and cutting back on recruitment and outreach.
Public safety continues to take up the lion’s share of the General Fund budget with the San Diego Police Department set to receive $718.6 million and the Fire-Rescue Department, $401.5 million.
“As the city approaches another difficult budget year, the department approached the discussion by taking a thoughtful look at how we can consolidate resources without sacrificing service levels,” said San Diego Police Chief Scott Wahl in a statement.
The mayor blamed the budget shortfall on a drop in transient occupancy tax revenue, combined with increased pension costs and what he called “weaker departmental revenue” and inflationary pressures.
His proposal includes $76.2 million in expenditure reductions, $26.2 million in labor concessions and $43.9 million in additional revenue and other resources.
In addition, savings from cuts to personnel are projected to total $83.71 million in the draft budget.
The San Diego County Taxpayers Association, in a report last week, said their “financial health analysis” of the city showed that middle-management positions have jumped from 70 to 393 since 2011.
Before Gloria publicly released the budget, his Instagram account teased that he would target middle management for cuts. Some critics, like the taxpayers association, contend the category has exploded in the past decade. Gloria promised 48 management jobs would be cut in the budget proposal while some positions have already been eliminated.
Despite the mayor’s plans for personnel cutbacks, labor groups offered support for his budget, which includes 10% raises for employees but some furloughs.
Michael Zucchet, general manager of the Municipal Employees Association, called it a plan “that makes meaningful progress toward closing the city’s structural deficit, which is in everyone’s interest.”
“What matters now is that the city follows through on its commitment to right-size the City’s budget and keeps the conversation going as this process moves forward,.” he added.
Though it runs counter to the mayor’s tone of austerity, city spending overall is set to rise 5.2%, or by $318 million. General fund spending, backed mostly by property, sales and transient occupancy taxes, along with franchise fees, will grow to $2.24 billion, up by $71 million, under the mayor’s proposal.
The city council, which challenged the mayor on a number of his proposed cuts during the last budget cycle, hoped to balance the budget based on revenue increases. But some of those plans, including the much-derided Balboa Park parking fee, have gone awry. And Councilmember Raul Campillo plans to propose a revenue cut Thursday by halving special event parking rates in downtown.
“The mayor’s proposed budget is the first step in a process that culminates on June 9,” said City Council President Joe LaCava. “San Diegans have sent a clear message: Raising revenues to fill the gap is not an option. We must deliver a balanced budget with the limited resources we have and put our city on firmer financial footing.”
Many departments are set for budget increases in some programs, while steep cuts are being sought in others.
The transportation department, for example, could see a $10 million rise, with new funds to address the “Fatal 15,” the most deadly intersections in the city.
However, that was offset by eliminating the Multi-Modal Program and laying off all its engineers who are in charge of designing “complete streets” with bike, pedestrian and intersection safety measures in mind.
“One step forward does not enable one step back,” wrote Aria Grossman, policy manager for Circulate Policy & Planning, in a statement on behalf of the Vision Zero Coalition. “This will bring progress on making San Diego streets safer to a stop.”
The coalition argued that funding these engineers’ work is as much part of maintaining public safety by dispatching police officers and firefighters.
Though the mayor pledged his commitment to protect homeless services, a long-time provider of that care, downtown’s Neil Good Day Center, is on the chopping block. Deacon Jim Vargas, president and CEO of Father Joe’s Villages, urged him to reconsider Wednesday.
“We’ve been aware of ongoing opposition to the Day Center,” he said in a statement, but the city has historically prioritized long-term solutions that address homelessness at its root. Moving away from that approach now risks setting back that progress and creating new challenges for our community.”
Arts groups were quick to respond to the mayor’s proposal to halt spending on arts grants for a year, especially as the creative economy has been touted as driving San Diego jobs, livability and tourism. Representatives complained that they are frequently first on the chopping block when budget crises hit.
Christine Martinez, manager of Arts+Culture:San Diego, warned of “decimating, long-term consequences for San Diego’s economy and identity” if the council goes along with the arts cuts, noting that the affected organizations “are small businesses, employers, educators and community anchors.”
“It will make this city hostile to creatives,” said Jessica Baron, founder and executive director of Guitars and Ukes in the Classroom. “The ripple effects will drag this city down.”
Gloria will present the draft budget in a public hearing during the council’s 2 p.m. Monday meeting.
Then it’s the public’s turn. Council members, serving as the Budget Review Committee, will hold a series of hearings from May 4 through 8 to gather residents’ feedback. The mayor plans to release a revised, budget proposal for review on May 13, then the council has until June 30 to approve a final budget.
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