Chief Administrative Officer
I am honored to present this budget as the County’s new
Chief Administrative Officer. And as a native San Diegan, I am very
proud to say this plan reflects the communities we serve.
The $8.53 billion fiscal year 2024 – 25 budget is balanced, providing essential services in our community while addressing today’s challenges and preparing us for economic challenges ahead. Its priorities reflect the County’s core values—belonging, equity, access, sustainability, integrity and excellence. Maintaining continued funding for essential services such as health and social services, public safety, land use and county roads, this budget continues to invest in issues that have become increasingly important to all San Diegans. Those include behavioral health and substance use disorders, homelessness, housing, equity for all, justice reform and climate change.
This budget also builds in resiliency for fluctuations in the state budget and the overall economy and relies on innovative, inclusive and data-driven services to build stronger and healthier communities, all supported by the backbone of our organization – our dedicated County team – who will deliver these services with expertise and heart.
This budget includes key resources to help build housing, boost the creation of multi-family housing and streamline our building permit processes along with funding for innovative programs designed to keep people from falling into homelessness, including shallow rent subsidies for seniors.
It invests in programs that keep people from entering or reentering jail through programs focused on job training, mental health and substance use disorder treatment and permanent housing. And targeted investments will help to attract and keep more behavioral health workers while increasing funding to expand behavioral health services to help people who are experiencing homelessness as well as to support opioid treatment and substance use disorder treatment programs.
Beyond that, it includes continued funding to provide more than 1 million San Diegans with access to safety net programs including CalWORKs, Medi-Cal and CalFresh. Those programs ensure people and families have the food and support they need.
The County remains dedicated to confronting climate change and making our communities and environment more sustainable by protecting watersheds, preserving land, planting trees and boosting electric vehicles with charging stations. We are also investing in County parks, libraries and other infrastructure that improve our neighborhoods and lives such as deploying “Live Well on Wheels” mobile clinics to communities that need public health services and continuing work on our new, state-of-the-art public health lab we expect to open in 2025.
This is a budget that reflects a collective effort to balance the needs of the region and positions us for the future. It reflects community input to ensure a foundation of equity, providing greater opportunities for all residents and helping us build a region we are proud to call home.
Ebony N. Shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
A just, sustainable and resilient future for all.
Departmental budgets must show how they help historically marginalized, vulnerable communities and people by using tools developed by the Office of Equity and Racial Justice that consider community engagement, data and accountability.
18 Incorporated Cities
Unincorporated Area
County government provides many services that support the entire region, covering those who live in local cities seen in the gray section of the map and the unincorporated area in the green section. These include things like social service assistance, health programs, foster care, adult protective services, food and restaurant inspections, and elections.
For those who live in the unincorporated area, County government is responsible for things a city government would typically do, like provide police and fire protection as well as maintain parks, libraries and roads.
The County works with community members throughout the year to help shape programs and services and inform the budget.
Visit engage.sandiegocounty.gov to get involved.
The Interim Chief Administrative Officer submits a recommended budget to the Board of Supervisors in May.
Budget presentations are shared at Board of Supervisors and community meetings.
Public feedback is provided online and at public hearings.
A revised budget is prepared.
The Board deliberates and adopts a budget that takes effect July 1.
Recommended Budget Released
online comments open
Budget Presentations to Board of Supervisors
Community Budget Meetings
Public Hearings on Recommended Budget
Budget Hearings Formally End
online comments close
Revised Recommended Budget Released
Budget Deliberations and Adoption
(40.5%)
(9.3%)
(32.4%)
(10.9%)
(5.3%)
(1.6%)
(+10/ +0.1%)
(+44/+2.1%)
(+12/+0.1%)
(+18/+0.9%)
Increase of 84 positions or 0.4% over the Fiscal Year 2023-24 Adopted Budget.
Roads, libraries, parks and other community enhancements.
Mental health and substance use support.
Access to shelter, housing and other services to ensure people have a safe place to live.
Housing opportunities to meet community needs.
Nutrition, health, financial and other programs to help vulnerable individuals and families.
Transforming the justice system to ensure equity and accountability.
Law enforcement and fire protection.
Keeping communities healthy and preventing illness.
Protecting the natural environment to preserve it for future generations.
• $9 million to advance broadband connectivity in the rural areas of the county.
• $4.9 million for the Office of Evaluation, Performance and Analytics to study County data to find patterns and trends that can help leaders improve programs, services and policies.
• $1.3 million for the Office of Labor Standards and Enforcement to work with communities and businesses to improve labor standards, ensure compliance and support for victims of wage theft.
• $500,000 to expand the Social Equity Program to address the disproportionate harm caused by the War on Drugs on communities of color by providing economic access and equity in the cannabis industry.
• $500,000 to implement the Uplift Boys & Men of Color initiative to provide a holistic approach to connecting at-risk youth to wrap-around services, trauma support systems and workforce development opportunities.