Written by Nicholas Vetrisek
The City of San Diego is projected to lose $250 million in revenue due to the coronavirus pandemic. Mayor Kevin Faulconer is attempting to offset those losses while at the same time ensuring that essential services such as medical workers and law enforcement are fully funded.
“The proposed Fiscal Year 2021 budget will be the most difficult budget we have tackled as a Council,” said San Diego City Councilman Chris Cate. “In this crisis, with millions unemployed, severe drops in tourism and sales tax revenues, and thousands of businesses potentially being shuttered, the City will have to make very difficult decisions with very limited resources.”
STATEMENT Re: @CityofSanDiego Proposed FY2021 Budget. "We'll have to make very difficult decisions with very limited resources. This includes determining what are core essential services the City should be providing to its 1.4 million residents." https://t.co/Y5D0Ba8v3Q pic.twitter.com/TzsI9FLkF7
— Chris Cate (@chrisjcate) April 16, 2020
Councilman Cate was also concerned with the money spent on optional services potentially causing essential ones to go underfunded. “Every dollar spent on non-core essential services may impact those basic services relied upon by our communities, and provided by City employees,” explained Cate.
He also said that he will determine what is essential to the city and ensure that such services are fully funded. “This includes determining what are the core essential services the City should be providing to its 1.4 million residents,” he said. “Over the coming weeks, I will work to ensure the core services we have worked hard to increase for our residents are protected to the maximum extent possible.”
