Mayor Todd Gloria on Wednesday released his final proposed budget for Fiscal Year 2026, restoring some funding for public safety and animal services.
Gloria issued his initial proposal last month, and he said public input at the city’s budget review hearings contributed to rearranging some of his priorities, though revenue projections remain the same. He characterized the shifts, which benefit both the San Diego police and fire departments, as “small changes.”
“The cuts we were forced to make to balance the budget are not what any of us want, but we’ve worked within our means to create a responsible, strategic, and balanced spending plan that prioritizes keeping San Diegans safe, fixing our roads and critical infrastructure, and reducing homelessness with a range of interventions — including building more housing,” the mayor said.
The city faces a budget deficit of at least $258 million budget in the fiscal year that begins July 1 as officials predict declines in property, hotel room and sales taxes.
Despite that, the largest change in Gloria’s budget plan – which ultimately must be reviewed by the City Council – restores a portion of a $1.7 million reduction that had been intended to consolidate police patrols in the city between the Northern and Northeastern divisions.
The revision – adding $773,529 back to the police budget – will keep officers based at Northwestern Division, but with staffing changes that have them report to a lieutenant instead of a captain.
The proposed budget also restores two vice detective positions axed in the draft budget.
Sgt. Jared Wilson, president of the Police Officers Association, thanked Gloria and Council President Joe La Cava for listening to public input and said maintaining patrols at Northwestern Division “will ensure that the San Diego Police Department maintains its high level of service throughout every corner of our city.”
Michelle Strauss, chair of the Carmel Valley Community Planning Board, added that “our community spoke loud and clear when we delivered our message that the Northwestern Police Station needed to stay open and that our command and patrol officers needed to remain there.”
Other public safety revisions include a keeping a community resource officer position that had been on the chopping block and bomb squad cross-staffing in the San Diego Fire-Rescue department, which uses funds from operations of one of two department helicopters for part of the year.
Lifeguard Sergeant Connor Robbins, chief steward of Teamsters 911, praised the inclusion of an advanced lifeguarding academy.
“This budget indicates that the city’s leadership recognizes the life-saving measures that our members provide each day,” he said. “We are proud of the work that we do to keep our residents and visitors safe when they enjoy our beaches and bays.”
Gloria’s proposal also partially restores funding for the San Diego Humane Society’s animal services contract with the city. Dr. Gary Weitzman, president and CEO of the humane society, said that still leaves a $1 million gap to maintain services.
“This funding gap threatens the city’s ability to meet its legal obligations around public safety, animal welfare and humane law enforcement,” he said. “These are not optional services – they are mandated by the state. Without adequate funding, the city will still be required to provide these services, likely at a significantly higher cost than our current, efficient model.”
The deficit faced by the city has continued to grow, officials said, because of a drop in sales tax revenue, lower-than-anticipated franchise fees from San Diego Gas & Electric and an increase in employee pension costs.
In addition, Gloria and his team had relied upon Measure E’s passage. But voters rejected the proposed sales tax increase in November. The additional $400 million that would have been raised by the proposal was a key driver for the measure’s proponents.
Few, though, canvassed the cuts that would ensue if Measure E failed.
But “rightsizing” fees, as the city has termed it, has left many residents disgruntled, and raised less than half of what the new sales tax might have.
City officials have doubled parking meter rates and boosted penalties for parking citations. among other increases, for an estimated $169 million in new revenues.
Gloria also is relying on revenue projections from a new trash fee – approved by voters three years ago, but up for final review in June by the City Council – and on an increase to the city’s hotel tax to help fill the gap.
The TOT proposal, Measure C, was approved by a simple majority of San Diego voters in 2020, but it needed two-thirds of the vote to pass. San Diego decided the two-thirds rule was unfair and has moved forward with the intent to collect the hotel tax beginning May 1, but the issue remains tied up in court.
Though public safety advocates came away happy, another faction, that supports libraries, recreation centers and more, was doomed to disappointment – from Gloria at least.
On Tuesday, Councilman Sean Elo-Rivera and local nonprofits rallied at Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park to demand that the mayor restore funding to those facilities, which are slated for reduced hours and program cutbacks.
The speakers and organizations in attendance instead called for a “people-first” budget investing in young people, housing and equity. The coalition includes a coalition of organizations, including City Heights Community Development Corporation, Chicano Federation, Emilio Nares Foundation, Employee Rights Center and the San Diego Parks Foundation.
In a statement Wednesday, Elo-Rivera concluded that “the Mayor failed to deliver for communities that were counting on him.”
“Mayor Gloria’s revised budget continues a troubling trend of overlooking communities that have long been neglected,” he said. “The choice to prioritize spending on a bloated Communications budget and pet projects like a new, $1 million roof at an animal services building over essential neighborhood investments like library hours and recreation services is unacceptable.”
Gloria will present his final proposal to the City Council in a public hearing on Monday. The budget released Wednesday will be turned over to the City Council to review and revise, with a vote on the final package expected by June 10.
The council can make adjustments to the budget; however, any expenses added in must be offset by a corresponding reduction or new revenue source in order to balance the plan, as required by law.
City News Service contributed to this report.
Updated 4:15 p.m. May 14, 2025
