Dear Neighbor, 

I released the draft budget for the coming fiscal year, and here’s what you need to know.  

The City of San Diego is a facing a $118 million shortfall, which has built up over years – rising costs, deferred maintenance, a dip in hotel tax revenue, and instability in state and federal funding for cities like ours.  

As a result, every single City department will see reductions in services and City employees.

This is necessary in order to prioritize the services you expect day-to-day, like police and fire. When I talk to San Diegans, two things come up over and over: fix our roads and keep us safe. So, even in a year of deep cuts, we made strategic investments to the police and fire budgets to ensure that when you call 911 in an emergency, you can get the help you need.  

I’ve also prioritized funding for the City’s Transportation Department to repair 311 miles of roads, and for Homelessness Services to support programs that are proven to get people off the streets and into housing.

This proposal is the starting point — not the final word. Over the next several weeks, your input will shape the May Revise, where we refine this plan with updated data and real feedback. 

We are making hard choices — guided by what San Diegans have asked us to prioritize: safe communities, reliable infrastructure, reducing homelessness, and building more homes. 

This budget reflects those priorities and the realities we face. 

As always, it’s an honor to serve as your Mayor. 

In just two days, we marked two major milestones. 

In City Heights, we opened The Teralta — new affordable homes for families, including larger households often left out of the market. In Serra Mesa, we broke ground on a long-vacant former library site, now becoming housing with a focus on veterans. Both projects moved forward with support from the City's Bridge to Home program. 

Building housing can feel like unlocking a door with many deadbolts. In San Diego, we’re unlocking several at once. 

We’ve sped up permitting, made it easier to build near jobs and transit, and put underused land back into use. This is how we expand access to housing — and make sure more San Diegans can live in the communities they love. 

I’m sponsoring two state bills that will help San Diego make better use of public land.  

First, Senate Bill 958 by Senator Akilah Weber Pierson would help move Midway Rising forward. By recognizing the environmental work that has already been completed, the bill aims to reduce delays so we can deliver thousands of new homes, including 2,000 affordable units, along with parks and infrastructure our communities need. 

Second, Assembly Bill 2525 by Assemblymember Chris Ward focuses on how the City manages land in Mission Bay Park. It gives the City more flexibility to make better use of certain public properties — while still protecting the park so San Diegans can continue to enjoy it. 

I appreciate the leadership of Senator Weber Pierson and Assemblymember Ward and their partnership on these efforts. 

San Diego hosted a delegation from the Invictus Games Foundation as part of the city’s bid to bring the 2029 Invictus Games here. The Invictus Games are an international adaptive sports competition for wounded, injured, and sick servicemembers and veterans—drawing competitors and visitors from around the world, and showcasing the resilience of those who have served. 

From touring iconic venues to meeting local leaders, the delegation is seeing firsthand how San Diego delivers both on the global stage and for the people who have served our country.  

San Diego is a proud military town, and this bid reflects the community’s ongoing commitment to honor and support those who have worn the uniform while showcasing the city to the world. 

In last week’s trivia feature, we asked: NASA selected waters off San Diego’s coast as a landing zone for Artemis II. What is the name of the spacecraft that will carry astronauts on this mission? 

Here’s how you voted: 

▪️ Apollo — 10.95% (15) 
✅▪️ Orion — 66.42% (91) 
▪️ Discovery — 22.63% (31) 

The correct answer is Orion. And brownie points to people who knew that the Orion spacecraft used for the Artemis II mission was named “Integrity.”  

This week’s question: How many miles of streets does the City of San Diego maintain? 

▪️ About 1,000 miles 
▪️ About 3,000 miles 
▪️ About 6,000 miles 

Answer below or send your guess to AskTheMayor@sandiego.gov and check back next week to see if you got it right. 

After a morning rain in Linda Vista, puddles sat on top of freshly slurry-sealed streets—exactly what we want to see! That protective layer keeps water from seeping below the surface, where it can lead to potholes and costly damage.  

Slurry seal protects the surface and prevents water from causing deeper damage—extending the life of our streets and reducing costly repairs. By sealing and protecting the surface now, we extend the life of our streets and reduce the need for more expensive asphalt overlay and full reconstruction down the line. 

Starting this week, the City of San Diego will begin delivering new light blue recycling bins to households eligible for City-provided trash and recycling service. The updated bins are more durable, easier to identify, and equipped with scannable tags to improve service reliability and accountability. 

Deliveries will take place on regular collection days and continue citywide over several months, with some households receiving their bins later this year. Crews will also remove older dark blue bins, which will be recycled and repurposed. Residents can expect notifications ahead of their delivery and can look up their estimated timeline online. 

After customers receive their new light blue recycling bins, the City will collect only from those new bins. Until then, the City will continue servicing old containers to avoid disruption in customer service. Collection of recycling materials will remain bi-weekly.

Weekly recycling service will begin July 1, 2027. 

San Diego is taking action to protect residents from the growing impacts of extreme heat, and community organizations are invited to be part of the solution. The City Planning Department, in partnership with the San Diego Regional Climate Collaborative, is developing an Extreme Heat Action Plan focused on reducing risks for vulnerable populations. 

As part of this effort, nonprofit organizations are encouraged to apply for the Community-Driven Design Series, which will support groups serving youth and older adults in creating heat reduction strategies for their programs and operations. Selected organizations will collaborate with City staff and regional partners to develop community-based solutions, and each participating group will receive $5,000 in funding. 

Applications close April 17. Learn more and apply today. 

There is important relief available for San Diego homeowners impacted by the 2024 storms and flooding. 

The Governor’s Office has confirmed that the January 2024 San Diego flood qualifies under the expanded CalAssist Mortgage Fund program. That means eligible disaster-affected homeowners may now receive up to 12 months of mortgage payments, paid directly to their mortgage servicer, with assistance totaling up to $100,000 that does not need to be repaid. 

The expansion increases the relief period from three months to a full year and broadens income eligibility so more families can qualify. This support is designed to help homeowners stabilize while they rebuild, navigate insurance claims, and recover from disaster impacts. 

Homeowners can review the full list of qualified disasters and apply at www.calassistmortgagefund.org. 

Downtown’s Civic Center Plaza is getting a vibrant refresh with Plaza Central — a new series of pop-up events bringing food, music, and art to the heart of the city. The activations are free and open to the public every Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., offering a lively preview of the area’s long-term revitalization. 

 
Learn more about Plaza Central events.