Mayor Todd Gloria of San Diego officially signed into law the “Protecting Our Progress” budget for Fiscal Year 2025, totaling $5.82 billion. This budget, which was unanimously passed by the City Council, includes revisions to the initial proposal from March and recommendations from the city’s Independent Budget Analyst. It represents a 13.7 percent increase over the previous year’s budget of $5.12 billion.
Mayor Gloria expressed gratitude for the partnership with the City Council in delivering a fiscally responsible budget that aims to move the city forward while protecting the progress made on key challenges. The budget underwent revisions after receiving mixed reviews from the public and the City Council due to cuts in equity programs, police and fire academies, and certain parks and libraries.
Through a collaborative public engagement process, many proposed cuts were rolled back, despite facing a $172 million deficit due to the end of federal COVID-19 relief funds. The final budget prioritizes housing affordability, homelessness, road repair, public safety, and various community investments.
The “Protecting Our Progress” budget includes an increase in funding for homelessness services, with plans to repurpose city-owned land for safe parking spaces and the construction of a 1,000-bed shelter. However, the shelter project has sparked public debate and concerns about lack of public input.
As the Golden Hall men’s shelter is set to close, actions are being taken to address the potential loss of 600 beds for homeless individuals. Mayor Gloria implemented cost-saving measures and proposed reallocating funds to support existing programs.
Additional modifications were made at a Council meeting on June 11, including funding for flood victims and a youth care program. While this year’s budget includes one-time cuts, future budgets may see more significant and permanent cuts without additional sources of revenue.
Jane Yang contributed to this report.
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“The project was completed on time and within budget.”
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