Mayor Todd Gloria said Tuesday he supports restoring hours at recreation centers, libraries and two reservoirs, but issued line-item vetoes of several spending items included in the FY2025-26 budget approved by the San Diego City Council.
In a statement, Gloria's office said the mayor's action "delivers core neighborhood services for residents while supporting the city of San Diego's long-term fiscal stability and meeting his commitment to confront the city's long-standing structural budget deficit."
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WATCH HERE"The mayor is sustaining a majority of the city council's new revenue proposals. However, he is adjusting the proposed revenue levels to reflect operational realities and realistic implementation timelines."
San Diego's Budget Woes
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SIGN UP Gloria said the budget actions protect public safety, and preserve jobs and neighborhood services, while making it less likely the city will face a deficit in the coming years.
"I urge the city council to accept this compromise," Gloria added.
The San Diego City Council voted 7-2 on June 10 to approve a $6 billion budget that cut library hours on Sundays while not filling certain executive positions, but the council restored some rec-center hours, Monday library hours at select branches and lake access.
However, restoration of those items and others, such as homelessness services and beach fire rings, would depend on new revenue streams, which may not be feasible: According to his office, Gloria's action "was guided by credible warnings from the Independent Budget Analyst, Department of Finance and City Attorney's Office about the financial and operational risk of some of the changes the city council made during their June 10 budget hearing."
"As mayor, I cannot in good conscience allow a budget built on shaky assumptions to move forward — not when we're facing national economic uncertainty, global instability and real threats to the federal and state funding we rely on," Gloria said in the news release issued on Tuesday. "That's why, under the authority granted to me by the city charter, I am using my line-item veto to restore balance to the budget. At the same time, I am accepting several council additions that align with our shared priorities and that we can afford to support."
According to his office, Gloria vetoed several expenditures approved by the council:
- $900,000 for Community Projects, Programs and Services, since the amount is "better reallocated to citywide priorities," according to Gloria's office
- $450,000 for Arts, Culture and Community Festivals, a discretionary fund for individual council offices
- $225,000 for the chief operating officer position that Gloria's office said he eliminated in February to streamline executive management and reduce overhead costs
- $450,000 for two management positions in the Office of Race and Equity, which Gloria's office said are unnecessary to maintain progress on ensuring city processes, hiring and resource allocations
- $757,156 for stormwater contingency funding, which Gloria's office said "lacked an identified need at this time" and wouldn't result in any new stormwater projects
- $1.1 million for brush management enforcement, which Gloria's office said the council didn't identify as a majority-supported expenditure modification, nor was it recommended by the independent budget analyst
- $250,000 for the multi-disciplinary outreach team, which the mayor said he doesn't support, adding that outreach base funding will remain in the new budget
- $208,000 for recreation programming at city lakes, other than Miramar and Murray, which are heavily used and received the most public feedback, Gloria's office said
- $95,000 for a short-term rental occupancy nexus study, which "is premature and an unnecessary cost at this time," Gloria's office said
Gloria also vetoed a number of city council-approved personnel reductions "to preserve five positions he has determined to be critical to operations, four of which are currently filled by city employees," according to his office.
The positions are:
- Communications Department's media services coordinator, $160,000
- Communications Department's media services manager, $167,000
- Compliance Department deputy director, $278,713
- Two deputy chief operating officers, $800,000
Gloria's office said he is preserving Monday hours at 16 branch libraries, while recreation center hours will be fully restored to their current levels.
