The County held an unscheduled, surprise “pop-up” budget event Thursday at the North Inland Family Resource Center in Escondido, giving residents a quick, accessible way to learn about the County budget and share what matters most to them. The goal: meet people where they are and make it easier for residents to have their say in this year’s budget process.
County officials are developing a balanced 2026-27 budget for the Board of Supervisors to consider in June; the current budget is $8.63 billion.
At the pop-up, staff brought flyers, a hands-on activity where people could “spend” faux dollars on their top priorities and information about how to take part in the budget process.
The unannounced, two-and-a-half-hour event was held in the County’s Fifth Supervisorial District. Similar pop-ups will be held in each of the other four districts in the coming weeks.
Public Participation Matters
The pop-ups are part of broader efforts to expand public involvement. County Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton has noted that this year’s budget comes with added challenges, including slowed revenue growth, rising costs and uncertainty about state and federal funding, which accounts for nearly half the County’s revenue.
This winter, the County held a public Budget Process meeting, delivered updates to the Board in February and March, and hosted an online survey and budget priorities ranking tool on the County’s Engage San Diego County Budget page from Feb. 25 to March 29. Residents shared what they wanted to know about the budget and how they preferred to receive updates and ranked six major County spending areas.
More Ways to Get Involved
Shelton will release the recommended budget for the public and County Board of Supervisors to review and consider on May 18. Once available, the public can:
- Review the recommended budget online.
- Submit comments through 5 p.m. June 11 on Engage San Diego County.
- Attend a virtual community meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 27
- Visit an in-person open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, May 28 at the County Operations Center.
- Participate in the public budget hearings starting June 1, before the Board considers and adopts the final budget June 23.
What the County Does
San Diego County provides programs and services that touch the lives of nearly all of the county’s 3.3 million residents — across the unincorporated areas, the 18 incorporated cities and the 18 federally recognized tribes.
In the unincorporated areas, the County provides services similar to city government, like law enforcement roads, building permits, animal services, parks and libraries.
Regionwide, the County also delivers emergency preparedness, criminal prosecution and detention facilities, public and behavioral health services, food and restaurant inspections, elections, beach water monitoring, and federal and state social service programs such as food and financial assistance.
To learn more, go to the County’s budget website .
