The County of San Diego released its recommended budget for Fiscal Year 2026-27, a spending plan totaling more than $9.1 billion. The plan reflects a 6% increase from the current year budget and aims to maintain stability while investing in essential services and responding to growing community needs.
Collaboration, Core Services
and Community Needs
The values-centered proposed budget was shaped through close collaboration among community members, the Board of Supervisors and its ad hoc subcommittees. The process focused on strengthening core services and responding to public needs.
The plan augments public safety to meet the added responsibilities of Proposition 36 and supports health and safety-net services impacted by federal policy changes of H.R. 1. It expands behavioral health care and continues critical investments in homelessness response, public health and infrastructure while also maintaining vital community services like libraries and parks. The budget also dedicates resources to addressing the pollution crisis in the Tijuana River Valley. See additional highlights below.
Balancing the FY 2026-27 budget required thoughtful and strategic choices due to uncertain state and federal revenues, which account for nearly half of all the County’s funding. Growth in local revenue streams have not kept pace with the overall growth in the cost of doing business, prompting the County to leverage recalibration strategies.
To recalibrate and prepare for the challenges ahead, the proposed budget reflects new efficiencies by reducing costs, shrinking the County’s facilities footprint, and shifting staff to address evolving responsibilities while avoiding layoffs.
The recommended budget includes 20,388 staff positions, a net increase of 108. Growth is primarily driven by Consumer Protection, Proposition 36 implementation, and H.R. 1 response, and is offset by unfilled vacancies, consolidation, and attrition.
Public Participation
and Key Dates
Community input played a key role in shaping the recommended budget through surveys, focus groups, emails, calls and more. Now that the recommended budget is available, the public can:
- Review the recommended budget online.
- Submit comments through 5 p.m. June 11 on Engage San Diego County.
- Attend a virtual community meeting from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m., Wednesday, May 27.
- Visit an in-person open house from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., Thursday, May 28 at the County Operations Center.
Participate in a public budget hearing on June 1
The Board of Supervisors is scheduled to consider and adopt the new budget June 23. Get more details about the proposed budget.
What the County Does
The County delivers programs and services that reach nearly all of the county’s 3.3 million residents across the unincorporated areas, the 18 incorporated cities and 18 federally recognized tribes.
In the unincorporated area, County government provides day-to-day services a city government typically provides, including law enforcement, roads, building permits, animal services, parks and libraries. Some cities also contract with the County for these services.
Regionwide, the County also oversees emergency preparedness, criminal prosecution and detention, food and financial assistance programs, behavioral health services, public health programs, restaurant inspections, elections and beach water monitoring.
Highlights from the New
Recommended Budget
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH
- Housing Interventions – $88 million
Provides a full continuum of housing to ensure people are sheltered while receiving treatment and support services. This includes a Flexible Housing Pool pilot as part of the new Transitional Rent benefit that will strengthen long-term housing stability.
- Residential & Long-Term Care — $176 million
Provides behavioral health treatment and 24-hour support in a structured, therapeutic setting for people needing a higher level of care.
- BH CONNECT Implementation —Adding $47.3 million
Expands community-based behavioral health care through evidence-based programs that support children and adults with complex conditions.
- Substance Use Treatment for Adults — Adding $23 million
Enhances the network of substance use services and supports, including narcotic treatment programs and a new chemical dependency recovery program.
- Behavioral Health Workforce — $15.2 million
Supports development and retention of a skilled public behavioral health workforce through the ELEVATE Fund and training and technical assistance for small, diverse community-based organizations.
- Community Engagement and Network Support — $14.4 million
Strengthens community engagement and supports providers through technical assistance, ensuring meaningful involvement of all 29 state‑identified stakeholder groups (BHSA) in shaping behavioral health work in the region.
- Behavioral Health Wellness Campus — Adding $12.7 million
Supports the design and development of the new integrated campus on County-owned property that will offer a continuum of mental health and substance use treatment and supportive services. The County was awarded a $99.5 million state behavioral health grant for this project in March 2026.
- Crisis Residential Treatment — Adding $9.6 million
Increases capacity within community-based crisis care settings that offer step down care along with diversion from unnecessary hospitalization.
- Behavioral Health Facilities — Adding $3.5 million
Supports facility improvements to develop new Children’s Crisis Residential Care and Substance Use Recovery Treatment Services programs funded through State grant funds.
- Child & Youth Behavioral Health — Adding $2 million
Prioritizes early intervention, outpatient, residential treatment, and crisis stabilization care to ensure children and youth have access to care.
- In-Home Outreach Teams — Adding $1.1 million
Connects people with serious mental illness who haven’t engaged in services to care.
ENVIRONMENTAL
SUSTAINABILITY
- Regional Watershed Protection & Ocean Pollution Prevention — $25.6 million
Supports watershed protection efforts that reduce ocean pollution and promote clean beaches, healthy ecosystems and safe drinking water.
- Waste Diversion, Emissions Reduction & Closed Landfill Management — $25 million
Integrates programs that divert waste from landfills and reduce greenhouse gas emissions with long-term monitoring and management of closed landfills to protect air and groundwater quality and strengthen regional environmental safeguards.
- Farmland Preservation, Open Space Protection & Agricultural Safeguards — $17.3 million
Protects the region’s agricultural economy and natural landscapes by permanently preserving farmland, expanding protection of open space and enhancing efforts to detect and prevent invasive pests that threaten crops and local ecosystems.
- Climate Action Plan-related Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Reduction Investments — $15 million (includes some programs referenced in other areas of the budget) Implementation of the County’s Climate Action Plan measures that cut GHG emissions, improve air quality and strengthen long-term climate resilience.
- Groundwater Resource Management — $3.4 million
Supports long-term groundwater management and protects regional water security.
- Green Building & Solar Energy Promotion — $1.4 million
Promotes green building practices and accelerates solar energy adoption throughout the region.
- EV Roadmap Expansion & Fleet Electrification — $1.2 million
Advances the County’s EV Roadmap by replacing fleet vehicles with electric vehicles and installing new charging stations at sites including Campo RMS, Julian RMS, Pine Valley Park, Tijuana River Valley Regional Park, El Monte Park and Lake Morena Park.
- Tree Planting — $500,000
Plants 1,000 new trees to improve air quality, expand shade coverage and support healthier neighborhoods. In addition to planting trees on County properties in support of our climate action goals, our private property tree program gives unincorporated area private property owners or their designees free 15-gallon trees to plant themselves.
POLLUTION CHIEF FOR
TIJUANA RIVER VALLEY REGIONAL COORDINATION
A new Pollution Chief to lead regional collaboration, identify resources and drive long‑term solutions for the Tijuana River Valley.
HOUSING AND HOMELESSNESS
- $93.1 million in housing resources for vulnerable residents
Supports the development of affordable and supportive housing, rental assistance and services that help families achieve self-sufficiency. Including:
This is an abbreviated story that was reprinted courtesy San Diego County Office of Communications. A full version can be found at countynewscenter.com.
