As the COVID-19 pandemic drags on, the impact on revenues across the nation is only growing. The City of San Diego is no exception, with an expected revenue loss in the neighborhood of $250 million over two years.<\/p>\n
Mayor Kevin Faulconer and the City Council are attempting to prioritize city services so that the most essential operations remain fully funded. While this is unquestionably necessary, it does mean that some city functions will either be paused or suspended indefinitely. This may be discomforting, but ignoring the reality on the ground helps no one.<\/p>\n
San Diego City Council District 5 candidate Joe Leventhal has been following the budgetary process closely. In his view, it’s on the City Council to pass a budget that recognizes the inevitable lost revenue.<\/p>\n
“When the City of San Diego faces a loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in fiscal year 2021 due to the economic impacts of COVID-19, it is incumbent on our elected leaders to do more with less as they ask the rest of the city government to do the same,” said Leventhal.<\/p>\n
As far as a concrete budgetary policy, Leventhal has introduced the idea of allocating an equal amount for each council district. Specifically, Leventhal proposes using the lowest fiscal year 2021\u00a0budgeted council district amount\u2014$1,158,217 in District 3\u2014and applying that amount equally to all council districts for a total of $10,423,953. This amounts to a reduction of 19.4% and a savings of over $2.5 million over fiscal year 2020\u2019s budget.<\/p>\n
This may sound like a drastic change to make in just one year, but it’s the kind of fiscal prudence that is vital when responding to a major crisis. Beyond that, it’s the sort of fiscal accountability that the San Diego City Council has been lacking in recent years.<\/p>\n
“Now is the time to do things differently and in a way that preserves the most services for the citizens of San Diego,” said Leventhal. “There is no reason the largest council member\u2019s budget should be over 30% higher than Councilmember Ward\u2019s budget, the lowest.”<\/p>\n
Leventhal has repeatedly shown himself to be an innovative, forward-thinking leader. His fresh ideas are as bold as they are common sense, making him an ideal candidate to ensure government accountability at a time when the stakes are as high as they have ever been.<\/p>\n