Mayor Gloria’s Mean Budget Channels Jerry Sanders

It’s city budget time in San Diego (and elsewhere) and that means the head executive (Mayor Gloria) presents his budget for discussion to the legislature (city council) and they and their constituents then bob heads for several weeks in response, and the electeds all come back together and finalize the final financial plan.

Although this is 2025, so that means we’re in for a “mean” budget (in both senses of the word) because San Diego voters refused back in November to pass Gloria’s tax measure and he’s now in a mood to punish the rest of the city for this miscreant act. (See below for the budget)

So, the process is basic: the chief exec proposes all kinds of cut-backs to favored programs and services — and then the screaming begins, with those with the loudest objections are handed some relief, but those other program cuts are then enacted.

And this year, there’s another new wrinkle. City Council members are concerned that Gloria called the spending plan he released April 15 a “draft” budget instead of a full-blown “proposed” budget ready for debate and haggling. As David Garrick at the U-T explained:

The mayor’s subtle shift in terminology appears to begin the next front in an ongoing war between the mayor and council for control and influence over the city budget. The new battle comes at a crucial time, with the city facing deep cuts and potentially significant employee layoffs for the first time since the aftermath of the Great Recession 15 years ago.

The council took steps a year ago to consolidate its power by reshaping budget review hearings held each May and by creating new opportunities to debate spending decisions and restore cuts proposed by the mayor.

One year later, the mayor is for the first time characterizing his spending plan as a “draft,” and he’s saying he’s likely to substantially change it with his release of a May 14 document called the “May revise.” That timing could seriously diminish the importance of the council’s budget review hearings, five all-day events scheduled for May 5-9. It may also make for a compressed budget-approval timeline that would limit council and public input.

The council is scheduled to finalize the city’s budget June 10, just 27 days after the May revise.

An example of council concern was by Councilmember Henry Foster, who chairs the council’s budget committee. He said:

“What was presented on April 15 was titled a ‘draft budget,’ and the language notably avoided referring to it as a ‘proposed budget,.”

Foster raised questions whether Gloria violated the city charter. Article 7, section 69 (c) of the city charter says that “the Mayor shall present the proposed budget to the Council and the public no later than April 15.” The word “draft” does not appear anywhere in the charter’s budget section.

Councilmember Kent Lee agreed, as he spoke publicly to Gloria:

“It feels like it throws the entire process out of whack. If we just spend our time discussing what’s in this proposal, we’re likely going to miss a chunk of things you’ll bring forward in May.”

“What’s worrisome for me is that trying to analyze it becomes very difficult for us on this council. This may not be the floor of what we are expecting. Telling you what our concerns are now may not equate to what you might put on the table in May.”

He is worried that turbulence in the national economy caused by tariffs and other factors could force Gloria to scale back revenue projections and propose even deeper budget cuts come May 14.

We refer to David Garrick:

Gloria has another tool he could use this year to boost his own power: the powerful, but rarely used line-item veto. That allows the mayor to make nearly unlimited adjustments to the final budget that the City Council approves, and the nine-member council can only override such a veto with a supermajority of six votes.

Gloria hasn’t used the line-item veto since he was elected in 2020. But each of his predecessors, ever since San Diego adopted the “strong mayor” form of government in 2006, used it at least once: Jerry Sanders, Bob Filner and Kevin Faulconer.

And speaking about former mayors, Gloria’s proposed budget (however it’s termed) reminds us of Jerry Sanders’ budgets — Gloria seems to be channeling Sanders, arguably one of the city’s worst mayors in recent history — in terms of budgets.

So, what about Gloria’s budget?

Here’s the meat (or veggie protein) and potatoes of the cut-backs, right out of the Mayor’s mouth:

In order to balance the draft budget and help significantly close the structural budget deficit, the following reductions have been proposed:

• All libraries will be closed on Sundays and Mondays. [This comes at a time when many libraries are just starting to get back to full service post-pandemic. This is real Jerry Sanders in full mode. When Sanders tried to cut back libraries, there was such an uproar — led by OB residents, that he changed course.]
• All recreation center hours will be trimmed from operating 60 hours per week to 40 hours per week — [“trimmed” is such an innocuous term, like we’re just trimming the hedge — yet it hides a 33% reduction in hours, a reduction of a full third. Honey, I just “trimmed” the hedge doesn’t mean you just cut it down by a third.]
• Select restrooms in city parks will be closed on a seasonal basis. [See below for a full list.]
• The City’s animal services contract with the San Diego Humane Society is being re-negotiated to lower its cost. [The Human Society says this includes a 20% — or $3.5 million — cut to the organization’s contract for providing animal services, and warns that public safety, animals and people at a  higher risk.]G
• In all, the draft budget proposes $175.9 million in reductions across all City departments. That includes a $30.5 million reduction in personnel costs, a $46.4 million reduction in other costs, a $35 million reduction in contracts with external companies, and a savings of $64 million by delaying contributions to City reserves.
• The personnel cuts propose eliminating 393 positions, 160 of which are currently filled. [This means there’s another 233 positions that are not filled, so eliminating them doesn’t really get us very far. The vast majority of employees in those filled positions are eligible to be transferred to other positions within the organization.
• The draft budget minimizes cuts to the departments that deliver the services that are central to Mayor Gloria’s core priorities, including public safety, road repair, and stormwater projects. [Do you see any cuts to bike-lanes? Of course not. More and more bike lanes that hardly anyone uses gets Gloria points on the environmental scale.]

Here’s a couple more points.

• Gloria wants to eliminate beach firepits (or rings). Wow! that will save a lot of money. When the city tried to do this years ago, the Rag led a visible campaign to save the iconic symbols of beach life, and in fact, instituted a “Adopt a Fire pit” campaign where residents could sponsor — and clean and maintain individual fire rings. It was successful and the city finally backed off.
• Here’s a realy sensible proposal: close Lake Murray — and the reservoir — 5 days a week and have them open only on the weekends.

What’s not in the budget draft?

The elimination of 200+ Middle-Managers who all make 6 figures. For example, there’s a dozen mid-managers who monitor the bike lanes — yes, that squad of 12 bike lane monitors — none of them will be axed.

As promised, here are the beach and park restrooms to be closed.

Of San Diego’s 15 “comfort stations” and Port-a-Potties sited in shoreline parks or at beaches, five will be affected:

• La Jolla Shores: Kellogg Park (the playground in the south of the beach area)
• La Jolla: Children’s Pool (4 of 8 stalls)
• Mission Beach: Ventura Place (on the north end of Belmont Park)
• Pacific Beach: Law Street
• Pacific Beach: Pacific Beach Drive (near the World Famous restaurant)

Mission Bay Park, a 20-plus mile loop, is the site of 28 restrooms, 13 of which will be shuttered for about half the year:

• De Anza North
• Playa II
• Tecolote North
• Fiesta Island Youth Camp
• Hospitality Point
• Ventura
• Bonita East
• El Carmel
• Crown Point South
• Ski Beach North
• Ski Beach Middle
• Vacation Isle West
• 7 of the 14 portable restrooms at Fiesta Island will also be closed
• 7 bathrooms in Balboa Park would also be closed from November to March as well. NBC San Diego