The San Diego City Charter mandates that every year by April 15, the Mayor is to present a draft city budget for the next fiscal year in order to begin the budget process. Tomorrow, we’ll release a first version of our Fiscal Year 2026 budget.  

Keep in mind, this is a preliminary draft based on early projections and current financial data, and it will evolve significantly over the coming months with updated information. Economic conditions like inflation, tariffs, interest rates, and consumer spending can all shift, affecting our forecasts and, consequently, the funds we have available. 

On April 21, I’ll present this draft budget to the City Council, and throughout May, the Council will hold Budget Review hearings, allowing each department to present its draft budget and discuss its funding decisions and needs.  

Most of these budget conversations focus on our General Fund, which pays for core city services like public safety, street repairs, parks, libraries, and trash collection. Changes in this fund directly affect the services you rely on. 

On May 14, I'll release an updated budget that incorporates revised financial projections and more up-to-date information, community input, and City Council feedback. The City Council will vote on the final budget by June 10.  

Despite facing challenging economic times and the City of San Diego grappling with a structural budget deficit this year, my promise to San Diegans is that my priorities will remain the same: reducing homelessness, keeping San Diego safe, building more housing, and fixing the damn roads.  

A formerly underused office space in Downtown has been converted into a shelter for transition-aged LGBTQ+ youth, doubling shelter capacity for this population. 

Reducing youth homelessness means investing in targeted solutions like this one.  

This expanded shelter provides shelter and services tailored specifically for youth ages 18 to 24. The new configuration was designed based on input directly from young people experiencing homelessness, ensuring their unique needs are met. Services include housing-focused case management, employment assistance, transportation support, and connections to mental healthcare and educational resources. 

This expansion is crucial, as recent data shows homelessness among San Diego’s transition-age youth increased 21 percent from 2023 to 2024. Thanks to $1.5 million in federal funding secured by Congressman Scott Peters, plus City of San Diego and Housing Commission funds, the conversion was completed swiftly, with youth expected to move in soon.  

This new shelter space is part of our broader effort to expand access to shelter and services across the city, including through the growth of our Safe Sleeping and Safe Parking programs and the upcoming 210-bed Rachel’s Promise Center for Women and Children. 

With this new shelter, we are continuing to get more people off the street and connected to care. 

When it comes to installing new bike lanes, the City of San Diego uses several tools to guide where and when they are added to City streets.  

Our Bicycle Master Plan, which is currently being updated, outlines a data- and community-input-informed citywide vision for a safe and connected bike network. Community Plans for individual neighborhoods also play a key role in identifying where new bike lanes should go.  

Most new and improved bike lanes are installed when we resurface roads or replace underground pipes. These projects provide an opportunity to reconfigure streets, making them safer and more accessible for people walking, biking and driving. 

Improved bike lanes are critical to meeting the goals of our City’s Climate Action Plan, which aims to increase biking as a mode of transportation and help reduce carbon emissions. By adding and improving bike facilities, we not only expand connectivity for cyclists, but also improve safety, deter wrong-way riding, and help keep sidewalks clear for pedestrians. These improved safety measures help the City move toward our Vision Zero goal of no severe traffic-related injuries or deaths. 

Bike lanes aren’t just the city’s doing. We're also supported by additional regional planning efforts led by the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), which also contributes to building a more comprehensive and connected bikeway network throughout the region. The Pershing Bikeway in North Park is an example of that. This new separated bikeway, which opened last summer, is part of SANDAG’s Regional Active Transportation Plan Early Action Program, which has resulted in other bikeways across the City. 

Building bike infrastructure isn’t only about meeting today’s needs. It’s about planning for the future. If we want a greener, healthier, and less congested city, we have to give people real, safe alternatives to driving. 

Interest in biking is already growing in San Diego — especially among young people who are embracing e-bikes. As more residents discover how convenient and affordable e-bikes can be, the demand for safe bike lanes will only continue to rise. Furthermore, we have evidence that bike lanes are being used. On 30th Street in North Park, for instance, the newly separated lanes have had more than 100,000 users the past three years. 

Below are three recent questions inspired by conversations with residents, inquiries that came through emails to askthemayor@sandiego.gov and comments on social media. Vote on the one that matters most to you:  

Have you seen the huge new Padres mural in North Park? 😍  

After their beloved Padres mural Downtown was vandalized, San Diego artists Christopher Konecki and Carly Ealey had help from Padres fans who rallied the community to come up with funding so the artists could create something even more powerful. 

With more than 100 people donating money, time, and talent to the effort, the result is a vibrant new mural in North Park — by the fans, for the fans. This crowd-funded public art piece is a celebration of San Diego Padres pride and the power of community coming together to create something lasting.