First, I am thankful for all of the public engagement we heard at City Council on Monday. The budget is a complex process, certainly, but is also a simple statement of what our City prioritizes and who we include in the conversation. What I heard on Monday was the sense that the proposed budget isn’t aligned with what our residents prioritize. I share that sentiment.  

Just because a budget meets our legal obligations to be balanced does not mean that it is optimized. The proposed version is not even close. I share your concerns because, like you, I believe that our core responsibilities, such as public safety and infrastructure, are urgent, and our parks, libraries, arts and culture, and youth investment are urgent, too; these are investments in our future and in our residents’ livelihood. Just like you all invest in the safety, security, and growth of your children and grandchildren, the city needs to as well.  

A budget has to optimize our present and the future as much as possible. What concerns me with the current proposed draft is that I perceive a weakening of both the present and the future, at the same time. To competently balance the budget, we must make difficult decisions. 

We need police, fire, streets, sidewalks, and infrastructure because those support the conditions of daily life. There are several families in San Diego, this year alone, who lost children to traffic accidents. Incomprehensible losses. Tragedy has the opportunity to strike when government is late to its most basic responsibilities.  

One thing that many people don’t focus on in budget discussions, but experience daily, is facilities spending. This proposed budget cuts $1.5 million from last year’s budget, and the public and city workers feel it when they walk into public restrooms that are overflowing with trash and without a working sink. As a resident recently put it to me in an email, “I don't feel appreciated as a taxpayer who is faced with diminished services.” A resident that feels unappreciated or overlooked is a resident who does not trust us. They feel and notice the hypocrisy of cutting core resident services while keeping so many of our back-office supervisor roles. 

But my frustrations are not limited to cuts in infrastructure and public safety. I am also frustrated about the glaring disinvestment in departments directly tied to our publics’ livelihood. 

This budget reduces recreation center hours and library hours dramatically. It cuts arts and culture by $11.8 million. Taken together, that is more than $20 million cut from the parts of city life that help people connect, and which provides thousands of jobs to our region, too. This is a slash in the social fabric that makes our city one of the best places for college graduates to live, that makes us a colorful and vibrant place, and that lays the foundation for growth 

To be transparent, I am concerned that this proposed budget only makes next year’s problem worse. As it stands, we are sowing more distrust and turning our backs on those who show up, in earnest, to advocate for their well-being. This concern is not to vilify the Mayor, his team, or any of my City Council colleagues. We do have a common goal, and we have different ideas of how to get there. But it’s your ideas on how we get to a better city than are most pertinent to hear.  

Last week, my family and I went to the Benchley Weinberger Multicultural Fest. When I go out with my family, and we have the pleasure of running into you, it is always clear to me that you are not asking for much. You want to be safe, healthy, and respected. Part of that respect is spending your taxpayer dollars in an intelligent, transparent way. So, I cannot promise that every one of the proposed cuts will be restored. I won’t make promises that are not real. What I can promise is something I do my best to offer you every single day: honesty from me and scrutiny of the ideas that affect your lives. I can promise an honest try at delivering the budget you ask for, the one that keeps your family safe, happy, and healthy.