By Macy Meinhardt, Voice & Viewpoint Staff Writer
Amid intense pushback from community members on cuts to the proposed $5.46 billion budget, Mayor Todd Gloria announced Tuesday that reductions to equity won’t be as drastic as originally proposed.
“The budget is a moral document. It shows where our policymakers’ priorities are,” said Keara O’Laughlin, Senior Research and Policy Advocate for Community Budget Alliance. The Alliance has been active in the fight to ensure that this year’s budget cycle reflects an equitable use of public dollars within the City budget, made up of a coalition of community, labor, and faith-based organizations.
The mayor originally proposed to cut $36 million in equity-related programs in his first budget proposal released in April. Within the community, particularly District 4, this created a storm of opposition inflicted upon the Mayor’s office. Amid one of the budget hearings held at city hall, a large crowd stood outside with picket signs, making remarks on how the mayor must “hate poor people”, as they advocated against the reversal of any move that would further disinvest their community.
“Advocacy makes a difference,” said Council President pro Tem Joe LaCava during the May 14 press conference. “The community spoke, the Council listened, and the Mayor responded by restoring programs that protect neighborhoods.”
The revised budget oversees a $13.5 million increase in the General Fund related to the restorations of neighborhood and homeless services that were initially reduced. Some of the equity programs proposed to be revived in the new budget include free City Wi-Fi, gang violence prevention, tenant protection programs, and investments in park and recreation centers in underserved communities.
Most programs that the community advocated to keep appear to have been partially restored within the revised budget. However, it does leave off a few key ones, such as the Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Cannabis Equity Fund. Both remain slated to be shut down altogether for this next fiscal year. Meanwhile, the proposed drain of the $3.1 million in the Community Equity Fund from the Office of Race and Equity also appears to be going through.
Yet, the City claims that it must continue to make “tough decisions” like program cuts to balance and protect the budget. This is due to a $172 million structural deficit San Diego is facing right now.
Other moves Gloria’s administration is doing to counter this include a decrease in hiring, a 2% reduction mandate across all departments, pulling back unused dollars into the General Fund, and temporarily suspending contributions to the city’s reserves.
“As your Mayor, I committed to San Diegans that I would draw upon my years of experience to guide us through this difficult financial time and avoid major impacts,” said Mayor Gloria.
Essential services the City seeks to protect within this budget include public safety, and homelessness, such as the new 1,000-bed shelter, fire stations, library hours, and recreation centers.
“This budget is balanced and on time and protects the progress we’ve made on the issues San Diegans care about most,” the mayor asserts.
Despite the restorations and grim financial climate, the budget is still subject to skepticism. “The May revision doesn’t change the fact that the Mayor is proposing to balance the budget on the backs of low-income communities,” O’Laughlin said.
A breakdown of highlighted restorations is as follows:
San Diego Housing Commission:
- Eviction Prevention Program
- Multidisciplinary Outreach Team
- Housing instability Prevention Program
- Neil Good Day Center
Parks and Recreation
- Teen Center programming in historically underfunded Districts–4, 8, & 9.
- Restoration in youth swimming programs
- Restoration in the “Come Play Outside” program, an effort to provide low-cost and free programs, like “Movies in the Park” to low-income communities.
Digital Equity
- Restoration to maintain free City Wi-Fi kick-started by the San Diego Parks Foundation
- Restoration to maintain library hotspot checkouts
- Restoration to maintain digital literacy programming
Click here to read the full revisions with dollar amounts from Mayor Gloria’s office.
“We thank Mayor Gloria for ensuring that San Diegans can access these vital services, especially those in historically disadvantaged communities,” said Michel Anderson.
Anderson is a board member of the local nonprofit San Diego Parks Foundation which collectively fought to put free Wi-Fi back on the budget.
San Diego Access 4 All
Access to WI-FI is considered a “21st century civil right” in today’s age, however 1 in 10 San Diegans cannot afford it, according to SANDAG reports. This is what is known as digital inequities. Before the Parks Foundation got involved back in 2018, the only area within the city that provided free wifi was La Jolla. Anderson explains how raising money and installing free wifi services at 59 rec centers across the city was one of their non-profit’s “signature achievements.” Their permit expired back in June, and operations were turned back over to the City. The City would need $500,000 to continue operations, and when the initial budget came out, that money was not allocated.
Within the budget hearings this month, Anderson and his team spent days in City chambers advocating for free WiFi programs to be put back on the budget.
“Public attention matters. Advocacy matters,” says Anderson, regarding the Wi-Fi and park services being put back on the budget. “We provided something to our communities, especially in the poor communities and communities of concern. They didn’t do it for the Parks Foundation. They did it for the citizens that we represent.”
No Shots Fired Program
Another effort advocated to be put back on the budget was the No Shots Fired Program. The program is a part of the Commission on Gang Prevention and Intervention and collaborates with the San Diego Police Department. Originally, the program’s $250,000 operating budget was cut due to paperwork inconsistencies.
The No Shots Fired Program is a collaborative effort to provide outreach and resources to known gang members in District 4.
“The gang violence intervention program led to a 65% decrease in gang homicides and has undoubtedly contributed to the safety of our region,” said former District 4 Councilmember Monica Montgomery Steppe.
“I cannot remain silent in the face of a budget proposal that fails to adequately reflect a commitment to equity and fairness for all residents,” said Steppe, who now serves as County Supervisor.
According to the CBA, despite the adjustments in the May revision, more work still needs to be done before the budget reflects the best interests of communities of color and historically marginalized residents.
“We have historical inequities in our city that have been perpetuated by decisions of policymakers in the current and past administrations that we really need to see acted on to make a more equitable city. And these cuts only put us backward in that effort.”
Nonetheless, the takeaway appears that the City and Mayoral administration made subtle moves within the new budget document that addressed some of the complaints residents had about defunding. The next process of the budget cycle will be on June 7th when San Diego City Council members will debate the proposed budget modifications. This will be coupled with a public hearing, signifying the last chance that community members will have to advocate for what they want to see in their budget.
