Budget Review Town Hall Forums: Some Takeaways
By Kate Callen
A series of four 2025 Budget Review Town Hall forums gave San Diegans a platform to express their views about how their city government spends their tax dollars.
The series title was “Now that Measure E Has Failed, Where Should City Budget Cuts Be Made?” The goal was for constituents to communicate directly with elected officials to state their budget priorities and their concerns about city fiscal management.
All forums began with a presentation from Independent Budget Analyst Charles Modica. Here are some takeaways:
February 8 Budget Forum: Mission Hills
More than 50 people gathered at the Mission Hills-Hillcrest/Knox Library. City representatives included then-Chief Operating Officer Eric Dargan and Randy Reyes, a community representative for Mayor Todd Gloria. Councilmember Stephen Whitburn, whose District 3 includes Mission Hills, did not attend or send a representative.
Points of public consensus included:
When constituents challenge City Hall funding decisions, and they are told, “Well, that’s what the policy dictates,” they must exert pressure on their elected officials to change the policy.
Infill density, especially massive ADU complexes, is exacting a heavy toll on mid-city neighborhoods with eroding infrastructure. By siphoning DIF money away from newly-dense neighborhoods, the City shortchanges the residents who are most directly and acutely impacted.
The frequent use of highly paid outside consultants, especially in the offices of the City Attorney and the Development Services Department, deserves scrutiny.
The Measure E sales tax hike did not lose because San Diegans are “tax averse.” The ballot measure was defeated because San Diegans do not trust City Hall to spend tax dollars responsibly.
February 13 Budget Forum: Southeastern San Diego
More than 20 people came out on a rainy night for the event at Porter Elementary School in Lincoln Park. City representatives included then-Chief Operating Officer Eric Dargan; Korral Taylor, community representative for Mayor Todd Gloria; and Tiffany Harrison, director of policy for District 4 Councilmember Henry Foster III.
Points of public consensus included:
San Diegans want their city government to distribute resources more equitably, and they want to know why elected officials funnel money into projects that don’t deliver widespread benefits.
The City has failed to remediate flood damage in Southeastern neighborhoods a full year after the January 2024 disaster. Community members also questioned why projects earmarked for Southeastern communities are put on a list for years but never undertaken.
The public also urged City Hall to be smarter and more creative in resource allocation – for example, using surplus land to meet infrastructure needs – and to stop the growth in personnel that seems correlated with a strong mayor form of government.
February 15 Budget Forum: Mission Valley
More than 50 people gathered at the Mission Valley Library. City representatives included then-Chief Operating Officer Eric Dargan and Lucero Maganda, community representative for Mayor Todd Gloria. No Councilmember attended or sent a representative.
Points of public consensus included:
The spending priorities of the Mayor and the City Council are not in alignment with the spending priorities of communities and taxpayers.
The audience called for greater investment in infrastructure and more robust code enforcement, especially as neighborhoods are feeling the strain of infill densification.
They challenged spending public funds on an enlarged city payroll and on bicycle mobility programs, neither of which seem to enjoy strong public support.
They asked if user fees are high enough to cover the cost of fee administration. And they called for greater transparency in how the City diverts money from developer impact fees (DIFs) from the communities where the development takes place.
February 20 Budget Forum: Mira Mesa
The fourth and final forum was the largest and angriest gathering of the series. Nearly 100 people gathered at the Mira Mesa Senior Center. There were no representatives from the Mayor’s office nor from any Council District office.
Hot-button issues included the contentious trash fee proposal, inadequate road repair, city salaries and pensions, and obscure management of developer impact fee (DIF) revenues.
Community members also expressed outrage at City Hall’s persistent stonewalling of constituents.
And they traced the erosion of public trust in local government from the still-murky 101 Ash Street debacle to the trash fee analysis that began with modest payments and ended with costly assessments.
Category: Education, Events, feature, Government, Local News
