Board splits, but creates fiscal planning subcommittee in response to federal cutbacks

The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 Tuesday in favor of creating a subcommittee aimed at shielding services from funding cuts.

Sponsored by Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe, the proposal establishes the Ad Hoc Subcommittee on Sustainable Fiscal Planning, tasked with “developing strategic recommendations to maintain essential county services, protect vulnerable residents and preserve the county’s financial health.”

According to a statement from both supervisors, the subcommittee will work with Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton, fiscal experts and community partners to:

• assess short- and long-term fiscal risks
• find local funding options and resilience strategies
• develop a roadmap to protect services such as emergency rooms, fire departments, food assistance, housing, law enforcement, Medi-Cal and mental health care, and
• return to the board with legislative and funding recommendations.

The subcommittee also will monitor funding impacts of the Tijuana River Valley sewage crisis.

“We are not going to be able to find $300 million in the couch cushions,” Lawson-Remer said during Tuesday’s meeting, adding that every program is under threat if the county doesn’t create an aggressive plan.

“Let’s be very clear: it’s very likely to get worse, as (the federal government) is on the verge of shutting down,” she added.

According to Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe, the subcommittee “will begin meeting immediately.” Its first report back to the board is anticipated “later this fall.”

Supervisor Paloma Aguirre joined Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe in voting yes, while their colleagues Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond were opposed.

Before voting, Desmond called the subcommittee “political fear-mongering” and an excuse to raise taxes. He said people really in need of benefits can get them, and the only ones at risk “are able-bodied adults who aren’t willing to work, volunteer or go to school for at least 20 hours a week.”

Desmond said the proposal contains the phrase “fiscal mechanism design options,” which translates into additional taxes.

“We don’t have a revenue problem – we have a spending and a priority problem,” said Desmond, who suggested that any ad-hoc subcommittee proceedings should be open to the public and that county fire and public safety “are the entities we should be funding first.”

Aguirre said the subcommittee was needed “as we confront the fiscal storm.”

“This is the Trump administration’s budget,” she said, adding “the Big Ugly Bill” is a direct attack on working families, senior citizens, children and others.

During public comment, most who spoke were in support of creating a subcommittee.

Wesley Burt, director of the nonprofit Brighter Bites San Diego, said that even before recent state and federal budget cuts, there wasn’t enough money to help locals in need.

“I recognize that to some, today’s proposal may feel unusual or even uncomfortable,” Burt said.

A county Health and Human Service Agency employee said not addressing federal cuts “will cost our county much more in the long run than it will to address it head-on.”

“If you care about fiscal responsibility, you should vote yes on this,” he added.

Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe announced the subcommittee proposal on Sept. 24.

“When fire seasons get worse, we don’t just wait and hope; we prepare,” said Lawson-Remer, board chair. “We should be doing the same thing when we know federal cuts are coming. That’s what this proposal is about, being responsible, being ready, and protecting the San Diegans who count on us.”

The supervisors pointed to the passage of One Big Beautiful Bill Act (H.R. 1), the federal spending plan that a county analysis estimated could create more than $300 million in annual fiscal risks, including to programs like Medi-Cal, SNAP, housing and early childhood care.

With a possible federal government shutdown looming, they warn that without a local plan, services like emergency response, mental health and food assistance could be left vulnerable.

“A budget is a moral document, and when we cut lifelines to the vulnerable, we bankrupt the compassion that defines public service,” said Montgomery Steppe, board vice chair. “We’ve long sounded the alarm on the threats of H.R. 1. As cuts loom, we must brace for impact – not by abandoning residents, but by acting.”

Labor and nonprofit leaders offered early support for the proposal.