SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — City of San Diego residents are set to speak before the City Council Monday night over proposed budget cuts that include cuts to library and recreational center hours.
This is the first opportunity for residents to voice their concerns after Mayor Todd Gloria released the first look at the proposed budget.
On April 27, the mayor sent a memo to the City Council laying out three options for cutting costs at libraries:
- Option 1 focuses on preserving hours in Districts 4, 8, and 9 (historically underserved communities), while cutting hours at 14 other branches. Six of these branches would eliminate a full day of service. Eight branches would be reduced to a half-day on Saturdays.
- Option 2 would result in more uniform cuts across the city for branches open Monday-Saturday. Most locations would lose Saturday hours, and four locations (Carmel Valley, North Park, University Heights, and Allied Gardens) would lose Monday hours entirely.
- Option 3 proposes closing the North Clairemont Library, the only branch facing an indefinite closure. The mayor's memo notes the North Clairemont branch is in poor condition and that two other branches are located nearby. Library Foundation SD said it is worried that once the North Clairemont location closes, it will not reopen.
"With no plan in place to keep this open, you've created a hole, right?," Library Foundation SD CEO Patrick Stewart said. "It would only naturally seem that fiscal policy and the agendas driving that would keep this branch closed, and that's what my fear is".
The Rancho Penasquitos and Ocean Beach locations are set to close under all three options for renovations.
The cuts coming to recreational centers are more drastic than those to libraries. Regardless of which option is chosen, 8 rec centers are slated for closure:
- La Jolla (D1)
- Cabrillo (D2)
- Cadman (D2)
- Santa Clara (D2)
- South Clairemont (D2)
- Hilltop (D5)
- Tecolote (D7)
- Adams (D9)
The mayor's memo notes that many of the facilities targeted for closure are located near other rec centers, do not have a full gym, or do not host programs like Parks After Dark.
The mayor's office is not endorsing any of the options and says they are for reference only.
With District 2 being the most impacted district, City Councilmember Jennifer Campbell's office responded to questions about the potential library and recreational center closures with a statement.
"The first draft of the Mayor’s FY27 Budget is certainly not the final draft – the Budget Review Committee will spend the entire first week of May diving into the proposed budget for each individual Department, including the Library Department and the Parks & Recreation Department. As City leaders, we have a duty to use taxpayer dollars wisely by passing a balanced budget to ensure that we meet our core obligations to residents. I will continue to fight for the residents of District 2 throughout this budget cycle, and I look forward to working with my colleagues and the Mayor to deliver a balanced, responsible budget that reflects our priorities."
The public comment period of the budget committee meeting begins Monday at 6 p.m.
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