Today — Tuesday — was Mayor Todd Gloria’s big announcement of a series of big budget cuts that will save the City of San Diego more than $5 million dollars. These cuts were “designed to generate cost savings and minimize service-level reductions,” his office said.
Here it is — the big cuts — I hope you’re sitting down — Gloria announced that 31 city jobs, that’s right, 31 FT jobs would be eliminated, including that of Chief Operating Officer Eric Dargan. The only catch: all these positions were already vacant — except for Dargan’s.
Dargan’s pay package of $448,810 alone probably accounted for nearly 10% of the new savings.
And in the meantime, Gloria will assume the role of city manager — yet, wasn’t he already the head cheese, the head honcho, the guy calling the shots? Wasn’t Gloria and all his mid-managers making six-figures running the show already?
Also, several departments were consolidated.
In his news release, Gloria explained. “The measures I am enacting today will significantly cut costs, enhance efficiency and reflect a full implementation of the Strong Mayor form of government.” Now, he’s really in charge. And he wanted to fly off to the Philippines on his own, he would.
Speaking of all those mid-managers making six-figures, including that squad of 12 bike lane monitors, none of them got axed. Now, without the COO, Gloria will need all the help he can get.
“The more than $5 million dollars saved will help preserve services for San Diegans — keeping officers on patrol and all of our fire stations in service and fully staffed, as well as enabling us to continue our progress in fixing the roads and getting the homeless off the street.”
Definitely keeping patrol officers and fire stations in service are priorities, but what exactly has been the “progress in fixing the roads and getting the homeless off the street”?
Here are the departments being consolidated:
- The Office of the Mayor and the Office of the Chief Operating Officer will merge and will include within it the Department of Government Affairs and the Office of Boards and Commissions
- Department of Race and Equity will now be transferred to the Department of Human Resources
- The Office of Child and Youth Success will move to the Youth and Family Services Division in the Library Department
- The Department of Cultural Affairs will transfer into a division of the Economic Development Department
- The Sustainability and Mobility Department will transfer their work to the following departments:
- City Planning
- Transportation,
- General Services, and
- Engineering and Capital Projects
In his press conference announcing the cuts, Gloria couldn’t help but once again chide the voters on their failure to pass Measure E. “If Measure E had passed, we’d be in a very different position today,” he said.
He didn’t bring up the over $8 grand spent on his trip to the Philippines.
Hmmm, $5 mil on a $250 mil deficit? Is that what I’m reading?
Right! What a joke!
COO Eric Dargen’s gift to the Mayor.
“Start with this and then you are on your own.”
I continue to be stunned and dismayed at the number of “spokespersons” employed by the city. Back in the day you used to be able to find out who was working on or responsible for a project and call that person directly. Today, if you are lucky, you are connected to a spokesperson who is generally not very knowledgeable about whatever you are inquiring about and who cannot give you a meaningful answer. If you’re not lucky, you are told to submit a public records act or FOIA request, then put in contact with a useless spokesperson.
The city planners, development services personnel and actual project managers are generally well educated and able to discuss the intricacies of a project or other technical situation. After all, they usually have a college degree, if not higher, and at least some ability to speak intelligibly. Why can’t a member of the public talk to someone who actually knows something?
Paul,
You asked, “Why can’t a member of the public talk to someone who actually knows something”?
I think you answered your own question Paul, when you said: “If you’re not lucky, you are told to submit a public records act or FOIA request, then put in contact with a useless spokesperson.”
If you are not an project Manager, city planner, or development services personnel, you are likely one of those “useless spokespersons” you were referring to. I certainly run into a lot of those “useless spokespersons” whenever I contact the Mayor’s office or my District six councilman’s office for any of my concerns.
I wonder why Mayor Gloria chose to keep so many of those individuals on staff?
A f&$@ingmen, Paul. The Communications Department budget is $9,648,384 with $7,666,456 just for personnel. Eliminate the whole department and go back to having the actual people do their jobs answering questions.
“Mayor Gloria’s ‘big announcement’ is a masterclass in smoke and mirrors—31 vacant positions, including a six-figure COO gig, and now he’s playing city manager too. Meanwhile, San Diego’s roads remain in disrepair and homelessness is still rampant. If this is his vision of ‘efficiency,’ it’s no wonder voters shot down Measure E.
With regard to Gloria’s comment regarding Measure E, “If Measure E had passed, we’d be in a very different position today,” You are right Mr. Mayor. We would be in the position of being one of the highest taxed cities in America. I would think you and your ilk would be tickled pink were that the case, but voters told you to pound sand with your tax increase. So, Mr. Mayor, while you are lamenting the fact that voters shot your tax increase down, POUND SAND!
Absolutely, I could not vote for E knowing the likely result of Gloria being re elected and the money squandered. And could not vote for E knowing how much taxes are to begin with. As a result, parking fees are up. Trash tax is being implemented. User fees are rising. I wonder how much slurry seal can be saved of Toad’s hair. The fallacy of affordable housing rings hollow when all other costs around are going up. And yet, it’s the county’s fault, SANDAG’s fault, and the taxpayers fault somehow for this incompetent mayor’s direction.
A career politician with no executive experience performs so abysmally as mayor that a growing chorus calls for the return of a professional city manager. When faced with a massive budget crisis that peaked on his watch — and following a tax ballot measure defeat that was a vote of “no confidence” in his leadership — he decides to save money by … naming himself city manager?? Fasten your seatbelts. It’s going to be a bumpy ride.
How does he not know that Measure F in 2006 got rid of the City Manager and created the Strong Mayor? He is a disgrace.
$5M? He needs to wake up. He doesn’t seem to realize what a deep hole he has dug for himself and the City!
I totally agree with all the above comments. Todd Gloria has no intelligent skills other than glad handing, smiling, and trade offs. Too bad the people didn’t elect Larry Turner. He has the skills, knowledge, experience, and has led hundreds of Marines as a high ranking officer. Those that voted for a no common sense, with 26 no common sense puppets on his staff, I hope you’re happy with the mess your vote got this City in.
Trump 2.0????
A current roster of city employees shows 321 executives earning more than $200,000 a year. Let’s start there. (320 x $200,000 = $64 Million)
Agreed!
Jim Varnadore of City Heights writes:
The City’s projected budget deficit of two-hundred-fifty millions of dollars translates
into nearly $180.00 of deficit for every man, woman, child, and newborn infant in the city.
“Deficit” I write, because it isn’t the City’s total “debt”, it’s only the coming year’s increase in
the city’s debt. If this continues for four more years (normal tenure for a mayor), the City’s
debt will rise by a billion dollars or $720.00 for every man, woman, child, and newborn
infant in the city. The evening newscasts today say that the mayor responded by dismissing one staff member.
I recommend again that you dismiss ten chiefs-of-staff, one from each Council district
and one from the Council President’s staff. Vacate those positions and leave them vacant.
If citizens have to feel fiscal pain, elected officials and their staffs should feel fiscal pain right along with us.
This will also mean that Council members will have to pay attention to activities in the office rather than planning the next election campaign, and they’ll have to pay attention to their constituents’ letters, e-mails, and phone calls. Those should occupy your time, given the size of the City’s debt and the speed at which expenditures continue to outpace revenues.
I’d recommend getting rid of Special Projects Managers, Asset Managers, and more consolidation in departments like Real Estate.
How much of this goes back to the city? Every year the assessed property value keeps on climbing. In 2024, the largest assessed value increase by dollar amount was $19.3 billion for the City of San Diego. San Diego County is the fifth largest assessment jurisdiction in the United States with 1,017,929 real estate parcels.
https://www.sdarcc.gov/content/arcc/home/newsroom/newsarticle.1719816798046.html
Two thoughts on this. First, wasn’t the 2006 Measure F passed by the voters to end the unelected City Manager system and go with the Strong Mayor system? If so, how is this happening now? And second, cutting these positions to save $5 million is all well and good, but how about saving real money by stopping, halting, or putting on hold expenditures that are not needed at this time? A prime example is the Pride Promenade in Hillcrest that has a $28 million dollar price tag. The cost to the City is $17 million and SANDAG (funded by all the cities of SD County, including SD) is kicking in the rest. Do we have the $17 mil! Of course we do, it is coming from……the parking fees that were just doubled! What a joke!
Jean,
I understand your thought process, and I can tell that you are not a fan of Pride, but did you know that San Diego Pride is the city’s largest single-day civic event that brings at least a quarter of million people together?
The San Diego Tourism Authority says the most recent data shows, pre-pandemic, Pride made a nearly $30 million economic impact in the community. Repeat that 30 million dollar impact year after year and I’d say that is a pretty solid return on your community investment, wouldn’t you?
I said nothing about Pride to make you come to YOUR conclusion. I simply stated that these kinds of projects that are NOT NEEDED AT THIS TIME can be put on hold. If that area already has an economic impact of 30 million, this project is obviously not needed at this time. They are spending money on this that we do not have and are planning to pay for it from the doubling of parking meter fees. That was announced as a way to help with the deficit, not pay for a project. Those fees are not even realized and can only be speculated on as to how much they will make. Again, spending money we do not have in the City Treasury.
You are quoting for perspective, a summer 2023 news release, using pre-pandemic numbers. Not to do with being a fan or not, but the current budget affordability process, and using the 30 mil as an assumption going forward. Um, too much gray for me.
Exactly Chris! Pre-pandemic was what 8 years ago? Becoming a tired line to use. And you are correct on the fan/not a fan, as it is not a factor in this issue!
Jean,
You claim you said nothing about Pride to “make me” come to the conclusion I did. You then go on to say, “that these kinds of projects that are NOT NEEDED AT THIS TIME.” All in Capitol letters suggesting to me that in fact, you are not a fan of Pride as I stated. WHY ELSE WOULD YOU PUT IT IN ALL CAPS? You can lie to others, but try not lying to yourself Jean. Why aren’t “These kind” of projects needed at this time? What would you spend the money on Jean?
The use of all caps on a forum such as this that does allow for the use of making letters bold for emphasis is quite common and that is what I did. This project is one that has been noted and that is why I used it as the example. We were told the doubling of fees for parking meters was to help balance the budget and then we were told that City of SD’s `$17 million dollar share of the $28 million dollar SANDAG project would be paid for out of the doubling of fees for parking meters. So, if the money is needed to balance the budget, why is it going to this project? I will gladly give the same opinion on other projects if they are pointed out, as this one was. A good example would be the City of SD’s share of the of $25 million dollar SANDAG project to build 3.5 miles of bike lanes on Imperial Ave., which is not wanted by the many minority-owned businesses that will lose all their parking, nor is it wanted by the many minority homeowners in the area that will also be impacted. So, despite your attempt to paint me as prejudiced, I am not.
Well Jean,
I will agree to disagree on your final point.
You can disagree all you want, but you have no knowledge of me, so you would be wrong, and I really could not care less what you think of me
Oops, beware of using bike lanes. There’s another Chris who’s quite fond of them. It’s the proverbial mine field of uber-sensitive people when their pet projects get picked on for being used as a general example. LOL.
https://voiceofsandiego.org/2025/02/18/mayor-gloria-tries-to-save-the-strong-mayor/#comment-537816
Please Chris S, again, don’t insert a link without text before it. And especially this one, as all it does is take one to your comment at VoSD, which you could have made here instead.
Not sure I get that since the story was published at VOSD and not here to begin with for one. Secondly, the history of the strong mayor and Jean’s comment spurred the response which I thought the article a was timely response and informative to all was my gist.
Okay then.
Right you are, Jean. As I and others have been writing about here and elsewhere for years, the “Normal Street Promenade” is a land grab that took away the only public space in Hillcrest — the only neighborhood in Uptown without a park of any kind, and long intended to be turned into a city park — to instead hand it to the Hillcrest Business Association for their private profiteering.
Did you know that, as the designated landlords of this public space, the HBA takes 50% of the proceeds from events they allow to be held here? That’s half of all the money from the weekly Farmers Market, the LGBT Center’s “Nightmare on Normal Street,” San Diego Pride’s “Pride of Hillcrest Block Party,” and other events that anyone wants to host in *their* space. But hey, they kiss the posterior of whoever will keep approving their municipal contract, Republican or Democrat, and endorse their policies in kind. Very much a one hand dirties the other arrangement.
Mayor Todd Gloria (R)
This is from a retired high-level manager in the city’s finance department:
“Vacant positions do not create savings because we always budget a vacancy factor to accommodate known and expected vacancies. It’s a farce.”
And this is from a former high-level manager in the city’s real estate assets and property management divisions:
“The merger between Economic Development and Real Estate, which was touted to increase budget savings and efficiencies, resulted in an increase of 8 FTEs and $850,000 in personnel expenses from FY24 to FY25, so if there is no follow up to ensure budget savings occur after department “mergers”, they may or may not actually occur.”
Crickets from the Auditor while the financial expert in the mayor’s chair cranks
out kickback-rich billion dollar boondoggle schemes like Ash St., the homeless
warehouse, NAVWAR, Sports Arena, the new civic center, and the airport trolley.
Yes, this is a drop in the proverbial bucket. But I think these were just the easy cuts off the top, not the sum total of what he’ll propose. And vacant positions do save money in the budget, just not immediately. Those positions will be taken out of the next budget, along with benefits, etc. Sure it’s small, but at least he did get rid of some management positions!
We need good caring services like full operation hours of all libraries and good caring services for disabled people especially the Development
Mentally disabled no cutting of libraries at all
Need full hours libraries vans good Autismo autistic services for our disabled Autismo citizens no matter c which party runs things
We cannot cut libraries hours at all no matter what
Lawrance, so what are your suggestions for placed to trim the budget? We can’t spend money we don’t have.
We need libraries full hours libraries