SAN DIEGO, Calif. (KGTV) — San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria presented his $5.12 billion dollar proposed budget to city council Monday.
Calling it balanced, prudent and on time, Gloria detailed new money to address the city’s homeless crisis.
The budget plans to spend a total of $81.7 million on homelessness programs and services.
“I applaud the mayor and councilmember Whitburn for recognizing that homelessness is a crisis … here in the City of San Diego,” said Deacon Jim Vargas, CEO of Father Joe’s Villages, a non-profit working to end homelessness.
The budget says $24.5 million will go to maintaining and expanding shelter bed capacity.
It allocates $2.3 million for rental assistance for San Diegans who are at risk of losing their housing.
And it will see over a million dollars spent to pay to remove trash from areas impacted by homeless encampments.
"As far as whether dollar amounts are enough it’s not enough obviously to address the 10% increase of those who are falling into homelessness,” said Vargas.
San Diego County Taxpayers Association CEO Haney Hong warned there could be trouble ahead because the proposed budget is structurally imbalanced by relying on $113 million in one-time funding, as pointed out by the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst.
“This is a budget that while it may be balanced here it also depends on extra money from the feds and so there are some tough choices that are going to come down the pike."
Several members of the public who went to Gloria's presentation at City Council decried the fact the budget didn’t include money for a cannabis equity program.
The state has given San Diego $880,000 in funding to help people affected by the war on drugs enter the legal cannabis industry.
"Mayor’s been for it but when it came down to putting money where your mouth is, we got goose eggs,” said Armand King from the San Diego Diversity Cannabis Group.
King presented at the meeting Monday and said by giving money to an equity program, it could directly impact the homeless by giving them opportunities in the cannabis industry.
“Homelessness is a huge issue. I have friends with me that came with me today that have been sleeping in their car, where if they had this opportunity, … if this program existed, would have great job opportunities,” he said.
The budget also includes $4 million for controversial streetlight surveillance cameras.
