Join the SD Community Budget Alliance on Monday, May 4th and May 18th at 6 pm to speak out against the cuts that Mayor Todd Gloria proposed in his budget. We will update the information on how to join once the agenda is out.
Location: City Administration Building
City Council Chambers- 12th Floor
202 C Street San Diego, CA 92101
When Item 202 is called, line up to speak.
The City Clerk will call your name in the order you submitted your speaker slip.
Click here to join the zoom meeting
When Item 202 is called, raise your hand by:
Note: The in-person testimony will go on first, and after the last person speaks, there will be a five-minute period allowing virtual hands to raise to speak. If you miss that five-minute window, you won’t be allowed to speak even if you raise your hand. So please immediately click “Raise Your Hand” as soon as you join the meeting.
You will have one minute to make your comment.
Submit a public e-comment here in support of including the People’s Budget in the FY 2027 Budget.
Meeting Date: May 4, 2026
Comment Type: Agenda Comment/Closed Session Comment
Item: 202
See City Council Agenda here. Below are suggestions if you would like to make a public comment during the hearing. Each heading may have 1 or more options, feel free to choose one that speaks to you the most. The suggestions can be used to submit an e-comment or to speak at the hearing online, over the phone or in person.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
My vision for our city is one where everyone has what they need to thrive.
[add a sentence to show what that means to you]
Every year, we should be working to make the city’s budget bring us closer to that vision, but this year, it does the opposite.
We should be expanding investments in [choose a couple points below]:
[Add a short personal story about why these are important to you or have impacted you or your family, etc.]
Instead of supporting what [my family needs or my community or I need] Mayor Gloria proposes to cut and underfund services that are important to me and my neighbors, while pouring money into criminalization and surveillance systems that endanger us.
The cuts to libraries, parks and rec, youth supports, environmental justice initiatives, and arts will hurt working-class families and deepen the gap between the rich and the rest of us.
I urge the City Council to fully restore these programs and services. We could fund a lot of the services we need by cancelling the Flock contract and reclaiming 2% of what the Mayor proposes to give to the police.
Our [families or communities] are struggling. We don’t need punishment, we need to spend the people’s money on the people.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and am a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
When young people and families have the support, opportunities and resources they need, they thrive. The City has a Child and Youth Plan, but without real investment, the plan is not real, and our City’s youth will struggle to succeed.
We are asking you to fully fund the Office of Child and Youth Success!
The OCYS is essential infrastructure to ensure that the City makes progress on the Child and Youth plan. San Diego’s youth, FAMILIES and their children deserve more than EMPTY promises; they deserve meaningful investments in their future such as child care access, youth workforce development, and education.
[Add a short personal story: share an experience with access to childcare, youth services, looking for more youth resources/support]
If we truly care about supporting children and families, we have to fund the systems that make it possible.
We demand that you fully fund OCYS. Restore director-level leadership, dedicated staffing, and strong cross-departmental coordination.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and am a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
When young people have the support, opportunities and resources they need, they thrive.
Right now, the City of San Diego is failing our youth. Instead of providing programs and services, safe and healthy housing, living wage jobs, and transit options, the City is policing and incarcerating our youth.
[add a short personal story about why we need to invest in our youth, or struggles you’ve experienced as a young person]
The Youth Drop-In Centers fill the gaps the city leaves by providing services to youth in districts 4 and 8. It’s been four years now and Mayor Gloria still hasn’t provided the full funding the City committed to.
I urge the City to allocate the remaining $500,000 promised to the Stockton Memorial and Mountain View youth drop-in centers.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and am a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
Libraries, parks, and rec centers are not luxuries, they are essential to our communities. These are the spaces that keep our communities learning, connected, and whole.
[Add a short personal story: share how you, your family, or your community relies on these spaces]
Year after year, these services face cuts that weaken the spaces our communities depend on.
I urge you to fully fund libraries, parks, and rec centers so every community has the resources they need to thrive.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and am a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
I have a vision for a City where everyone has access to stable housing. Our budget needs to bring us closer to this vision.
We need to invest in people-centered solutions that prevent people from becoming unhoused and provide the resources folks need if they do.
That looks like investing in eviction prevention services, shelter beds, and other support our unhoused neighbors need.
[add personal story about why access to stable housing is important to you]
The Mayor’s proposed budget will push people into homelessness and make it more challenging for people to access stable housing. His budget makes it clear, his priority is to criminalize and hide our unhoused neighbors, not support them.
I urge you to restore cuts to the Neil Good Day Center, downtown public restrooms, and not make any further cuts to homelessness strategies. Fund these programs and services by reallocating the $4.6 million given to the police to criminalize our unhoused neighbors.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
Parks are an essential service to our city. They are the places where all children can play, but especially those who don’t have their own outdoor space. Parks are also where people of all ages and circumstances walk, breathe fresh air and connect with their neighbors.
Currently, our communities have to wait years for a park to be repaired. We need a Deputized City Engineer who can quickly and efficiently approve park projects so we get the safe, usable parks we deserve. Right now, even small park improvements are delayed by a costly, centralized process.
[Add a short personal story: share an example of a park in your community that needs repairs, upgrades, or has been delayed]
Fully fund the Parks and Rec Department and add a Deputized City Engineer to speed up projects, lower costs, and make sure every San Diegan has access to clean, safe, updated parks.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and am a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
Safety needs to be something people feel in their everyday lives. People should be able to walk to school, to work, or through their neighborhood without fear. When our streets are designed to protect people, our communities are more connected, more accessible, and able to thrive.
[Add a short personal story: share concerns for your community or any experiences with unsafe crossings]
Near Rosa Parks elementary school, children are relying on volunteers to help them cross the street. For $40,000 the City can install a pedestrian beacon to make sure nobody has to risk their life for kids to get to school safely.
I urge you to fund a pedestrian beacon near Rosa Parks elementary, because San Diego kids deserve to be safe.
Good evening, Council Members. My name is [NAME] and I live in district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION] and am a member of the Community Budget Alliance.
It should be obvious by now that protection from flooding and climate disasters cannot be delayed.
[Add a short personal story: share experiences with flooding, storm damage, or neighborhood impacts]
Districts 4, 8, and 9 face repeated flooding due to chronic underinvestment in stormwater infrastructure.
I urge you to invest $100 million in stormwater infrastructure, restore cuts to wetland mitigation and fund channel maintenance to protect our communities.
Our communities should not have to keep paying the price of inaction. We will not accept continued discrimination and neglect.