Skip to content

FISCAL YEAR 2022 BUDGET & POLICY DEMANDS

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic highlighted gaps in our County systems that our coalition has been working to close for years. There is a deep-seated history of institutionalized racism in this country and in this county its maintained by current budget, policy and administrative decisions. This status quo is unacceptable. We need significant change and we are willing to buiid partnerships with the County to help make this change happen. 

This year, we continue to advocate for budget and policy priorities that push San Diego County to better serve all its residents. 

OUR DEMANDS

Transparency, Accessibility and Accountability

  1. An annual residential fee for all registered rental units.
  2. AllĀ  landlords to report property information annually and with each tenancy change.
  3. Requiring eviction notices to be filled by the landlord within the rent registry, 30 days before giving it to the tenant.
  4. Fees collected to fund tenant counseling and legal services.
  1. Publicly release detailed versions of the County budget
  2. Publicly post each fiscal year’s “Financial Planing Calendar” on the County’s Open Budget Portal.
  1. Ā  Increase funding for translation and interpretation services across all County departments by $5 million.
  2. Ā Fully implement the County’s Language Access PolicyĀ 
  1. Ā Collect and publish information on COVID-19 testing access, positive cases, hospitalizations and deaths.
  2. Include whether an individual was an essential worker, what industry they work in, and whether an individual in unhoused.
  3. COVID-19 data must include information from San Diego Sheriff’s Department facilities.
  4. The County must collect and publicize vaccine distribution data.Ā 

Smart Justice

  1. Fund free video and phone calls for all people in jail.
  2. All future “Public Safety Group” budgets should assume no revenue will be generated from phone calls.
  3. Re-negotiate or establish new jail service contract to ensure lowest possible costs for County and taxpayers.

The County should not continue to invest in expanding a “criminal justice” system that is not needed, except as needed to protect incarcerated people’s health, safety, and well- being.

  1. Remove cash bail for all non-violent crimes.
  2. Savings from the reform of pretrial practices should be allocated to community services and practices.
  1. Ā Create a Transitional Age Unit (18-25 yrs.)
  2. Hire social worker(s) to review cases for youth between 18-25 YRS., determine whether alternatives to detention are appropriate for each case.
  3. Develop and provide culturally relevant practices for youth 18-25 YRS. in probation.
  4. Coordinate a process for system impacted youth and adult allies/ partners to design and implement trauma-informed youth-adult partnership training for youth probation officers.
  1. A minimum of $3 million dollars should be reallocated for the RCC program
  2. The FY22 adopted Operational Plan should include clear explanations of how funds were reallocated to support the RCC program.
  1. Ā Community input on the Juvenile Justice Coordinating Council (JJCC) subcommittee.
  2. Programs led by formerly incarcerated individuals
  3. Cross-training in evidence-based violence prevention programs, trauma-informed care, and transformative justice, for multiple organizations.
  4. Providing paid work experience and entrepreneurial support.
  1. Ā Allocate additional funding for County Mobile Response Teams (MCRT)

Good Jobs

  1. Ā Pass a countywide worker recall & retention policy.
  2. Pass a countywide “emergency sick leave” policy to ensure access to two weeks of paid sick leave for workers.
  3. Create an Office of Labor Standards Enforcement (OLSE), with jurisdiction in all areas of the County, to protect workers’ rights, heath and safety, and fight wage theft.
  4. Establish a “workers’ health council” policy that requires employers to form committees composed of employees and management. These health councils must work in collaboration with community organizations, labor unions and HHSA, to ensure COVID-19 workplace health and safety standards are followed.Ā 

Acknowledge the service and sacrifices of public employees on the frontlines of COVID-19 pandemic response.Ā 

  1. Ā Hire an independent auditor to evaluate County contracts and contracting practices.
  2. Evaluation should include contractors’ demographic information, job quality, lawsuits and administrative findings against contractors, etc.
  3. The report should be publicly available and easily accessible.
  1. Ā Fund and create a Corps program within the County Parks and Recreation Department.

Safety Ladder

  1. Allocate $25 million for organizations in the County that provide tenant counseling, outreach and education and legal services for tenants.
  2. Allocate $100 million to provide emergency rental assistance for all, no exceptions.Ā 

The CARES Act, which provides economic relief amidst the growing COVID-19 pandemic, intentionally excluded underserved populations, including immigrant workers and families who are on the frontlines of caring for our communities during this pandemic. San Diego families need economic protections during these uncertain times. No one should be worried about making ends meet during a public health crisis.

  1. Ā  Allocate $400.000 for the creation of a Doula Care Access Pilot Program. The program would be available to all pregnant people who qualify for Medi-Cal.
  2. Provide a public evaluation of the County’s pilot Menstrual Hygiene Access program, installed in 25+ public restrooms within County facilities.
  1. Ā Allocate funding to provide hotel rooms for asylum seekers.
  2. Allocate $2.5 million to create an on-going Universal Removal Deportation Defense.
  3. Create an Office of Immigrant Affairs.
  1. Ā Support MTS/SANDAG funding for Youth Opportunity Passes (YOP).
  2. Support the transfer of fare evasion charges from criminal court to civil court.
  3. Support funding for bathrooms and other appropriate amenities near bus stops.
  4. Support efforts to prevent cuts to services/routes in transit-dependent communities.

1. Coordinate and consolidate youth programs and resources in order to eliminate the silos that currently exist, and create a hub where children & youth service- providers can convene to develop more comprehensive programming and resources.

Be used as a space to consolidate funding for children and youth programs.

Discover more from Invest in San Diego Families

Subscribe now to keep reading and get access to the full archive.

Continue reading