County Supervisor Lawson-Remer Explains Budget and What It Means for OB and Point Loma

Change Is Upon Us. New County Budget Helps Us Prepare

By Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer — July 2022

If you told me three years ago I would spend weeks on end isolated at home, gas would cost $6 a gallon, I’d be watching a war in Europe, and reproductive freedom would be illegal or close to it in a majority of the nation, I wouldn’t have believed you.

But the reality is that our world has changed — and this change is being thrust upon us from all directions. With the right planning and investments we can weather that change — and create a stronger, more resilient San Diego County.

This was my goal when I voted last month to approve the County of San Diego’s new $7.35 billion dollar budget. It’s a resiliency budget — an investment plan to make sure that San Diego is ready not only to respond to the change we’re experiencing but to enact the change we need.

It furthers the work we’ve done, and continue to do, to make County government more equitable, sustainable, responsive, and representative of our communities.

As we grow more concerned about sewage in Ocean Beach, this budget invests $40 million in improving our stormwater infrastructure to keep pollution from our cities from flowing onto our beaches. No one should have to worry about not knowing the quality of the water when they step off Newport Avenue and onto the sand.

As we see people struggling on sidewalks along West Point Loma Boulevard and huddled on Midway Drive, this budget pays for new Mobile Crisis Response Teams staffed with trained psychiatric clinicians to respond quickly — allowing our sheriffs and police officers to focus on fighting crime.

As we feel the heat from rising temperatures, this budget invests $100 million to fight climate change, expand County parks and community gardens, acquire land for the preservation of natural habitats, plant trees and set up “cool zones” around our region for you to enjoy air conditioning for free. And it funds the creation of the County’s Regional Decarbonization and Green Jobs Framework, which will outline future actions to capture harmful emissions, such as expanding marshlands in areas like Mission Bay Park.

As we are squeezed by inflation and need a little extra help to make ends meet, this budget will fund new resources to help residents access food and healthcare through programs like CalFresh and Medi-Cal.

As we witness wildfires more frequently threaten our homes, this budget bolsters our firefighting fleet with a new dual-engine helicopter with the ability to fly at night and carry more water and emergency responders. But we’re not waiting for danger to arrive at our doorsteps — we’re also investing $2 million to reduce the risk of wildfire through vegetation management, improved evacuation routes, and fire breaks.

And as we venture out more to reconnect with our neighbors, you can experience the millions of dollars set aside in this budget to support vital programs, such as 24-hour rapid testing to measure beach water quality. This is, in addition, to grant funding last year when my office championed $7,000 for youth reading programs through Reading Legacies and $15,000 for Asian and Pacific Islander-focused film programs through Pacific Arts Movement, both based in Liberty Station. If you know an organization that is doing important work that should receive funding, please have them reach out to me at terra.lawson-remer@sdcounty.ca.gov.

We are a resilient region — and this budget reflects that spirit. We can’t always control what comes our way. But we will continue to work hard locally to be prepared for winds of change, no matter where they come from, so we can chart a better future for us all.