County supervisors and the public heard early budget proposals Tuesday outlining how the County could potentially spend ongoing “discretionary” revenue next year — the portion of funding the Board of Supervisors can allocate at its discretion.
Departments presented proposed funding investments focused on sustaining core health, housing and social services; responding to increased medical costs in jails and detention facilities; and maintaining key infrastructure investments like stormwater projects and projects that protect parks, libraries and community places.
County Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton told supervisors the upcoming budget process will be especially challenging and will require difficult decisions.
The County is working to build a balanced 2026-27 budget for supervisors to approve in June to succeed its current $8.63 billion budget.
“As we’ve shared in prior updates,” Shelton said, “we are facing economic challenges, including slowed revenue growth, rising costs and uncertainty at the federal and state level — the source of nearly half the County’s revenue.
“Those constraints,” Shelton said, “require difficult decisions about how we allocate resources while maintaining core services and prioritizing resources aligned with community needs.”
Shelton said County staff will use feedback from the Board and public to develop her recommended budget. To allow more time to incorporate that feedback, along with updated state and federal funding information, Shelton is extending the planned deadline to submit her recommended budget from May 1 to May 18.
After the recommended budget is released, the public hearing period begins June 1. Public input and “change letter” recommendations will be incorporated in a revised budget released June 12, with final budget adoption scheduled for June 23rd.
Online Survey and Priority Tool Now Open Through March 29
County officials emphasized that public input is vital to shaping the budget. To allow more time for participation, the County has extended the deadline — from March 22 to Sunday March 29 — for the public to use two online tools it created to help them take part in the budget process. Those are an online survey and a budget Priority tool on the County’s Engage San Diego County Budget page.
The survey asks residents what they want to know about County services and how they prefer to receive updates, whether by email, text or other means. The Priority tool lets people select and rank six County budget spending priorities based on what matters most to them.
County officials have sought public input about the budget, saying it is critical to the County’s process. The Board of Supervisors held a budget process meeting on Jan. 27 and heard a financial update on the current budget at its March 3 meeting.
“The County’s work, at its core, is about people,” Shelton said. “Every program, service and investment we make is designed to support the people and communities that we serve. From health and human services, behavioral health support, public safety and environmental protection, to parks, libraries, roads and emergency response.”
What the County Does
The County of San Diego delivers programs and services that reach nearly all of the county’s 3.3 million residents across the unincorporated areas, the 18 incorporated cities and 18 federally recognized tribes.
In the unincorporated area, County government is responsible for the day-to-day services a city government typically offers, including law enforcement, roads, building permits, animal services, parks and libraries. Some cities also contract with the County for these services.
County government also works to deliver many services that support the entire region. These include emergency preparedness; criminal prosecution and detention facilities; delivery of federal and state social service assistance within the region like access to food and financial support for vulnerable people; health programs including behavioral health services; food and restaurant inspections; elections and beach water monitoring.
For more information about the County budget process, go to the San Diego County budget website.
