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Wrapping Up a Historic Budget Season at the County

After decades of underfunding County services and programs, this new Board of Supervisors has taken unprecedented steps to begin rebuilding and reshaping the priorities represented in our County budget. 

Years of organizing and coalition building have laid the groundwork for these historic changes, and created opportunities for partnerships with elected officials to design a budget that prioritizes equity and investments in workersā€™, tenantsā€™ rights, youth, and immigrant communities.

The County of San Diego's FY 2022 Budget Includes these ISDF Priorities:

Office of Labor Standards Enforcement

  • The County of San Diego will create a central place to outreach to workers about their rights and enforce labor standards.

Office of Immigrant & Refugee Affairs

  • This office will provide a centralized location to support immigrants and refugees in accessing the services and resources needed to thrive in San Diego.

Immigrant Legal Defense Fund

  • $5 million was included in the budget to provide free legal representation to people seeking asylum or facing deportation.

Cash Aid for Excluded Workers

  • At least $10 million in ARPA funds were allocated for stimulus payments to immigrant workers excluded from federal and state benefits.

Youth Environmental Recreation Corps

  • $1 million to provide opportunities for youth to access green jobs in the County.

Tenant Counseling & No-cost Legal Services

  • $15 million to provide no-cost education, counseling, and legal services for tenants facing economic hardship.

Hazard Pay for County Workers

  • $36 million for hazard pay for County employees who have been on the frontlines of the COVID response.

Mobile Crisis Response Team (MCRT)

  • The MCRT program will become available 24 hours a day in the North Coastal area. The County will also begin the process to make MCRT available Countywide.

Doula Care Access Pilot Program

  • $400,000 for a Doula Care Access pilot program to provide assistance through the prenatal, birthing, and postpartum process for low-income families.

Free Phone Calls for Individuals in Incarceration

  • Starting July 1, 2021, individuals incarcerated in County facilities will no longer be charged to contact their loved ones.

We are proud of the progress that has been made; however, a lot of work still needs to be done. We need to ensure that these offices, policies and programs are implemented with our values in mind.

Despite many new community investments, the County continues to overfund policing and incarceration, including a $95.6 million increase in the Sheriffā€™s Department budget with little accountability to the public. We need transparency and accountability on how County funds are spent and we will continue calling for an audit of the Sheriff Departmentā€™s budget.

More than 1900 people participated in the budget process and advocated for equity this year. Thank you to everyone who took action!

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