Good afternoon, Council Members. My name is [NAME]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION]. We are a member of the Community Budget Alliance. I live in the district [CITY COUNCIL DISTRICT #]. 

Every year we fight for a People’s Budget that prioritizes keeping people housed, addressing climate change, reversing systemic inequities, and fighting for working-class communities. The Mayor’s proposed budget does the opposite.

Mayor Gloria is once again choosing to cut the programs and services our communities need while continuing to pour more money into the policing system that criminalizes our communities. The massive cuts to libraries, parks and rec, youth programs, equity offices and climate justice initiatives will only deepen inequities and hurt working-class families.

I urge the City Council to help right these wrongs by fully restoring these programs and services.

• We cannot afford to lose these services. If anything we should be expanding these investments that provide real safety instead of the criminalization proposed by Mayor Gloria. We need bold investments in people, not punishment. 
•  

Please act now to modify the budget!

Good afternoon, Council Members. My name is [NAME]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION]. We are a member of the Community Budget Alliance.

The City of San Diego’s budget should equitably spend public dollars, prioritize communities and neighborhoods with the greatest need, and actively combat systemic racism, discrimination, and income inequality. Mayor Gloria’s proposed budget does the opposite by balancing the budget at the expense of low-income, immigrant, youth and Black and brown communities. 

Mayor Gloria’s decision to cut the Office of Immigrant Affairs last budget cycle will have real consequences and hurt immigrants. [Add a short personal story about why the Office of Immigrant Affairs is needed.]

• With the new Trump administration Mayor Gloria is arguing that we don’t have enough money and that we can’t spend what we do have on services like the Office of Immigrant Affairs and the Welcoming San Diego initiative. However, we will continue to make the case that we can’t afford not to take care of people. 
•  

The city must do more to support immigrant and refugee communities. Immigrant families do not feel safe and the continued investments in policing increase the threats to our immigrant communities. 

That is why I am asking the City Council to reinstate the  Office of Immigrant  Affairs.  

Please act now to modify the budget!

Good afternoon, Council Members. My name is [NAME]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION]. We are a member of the Community Budget Alliance.

• I care about youth opportunity and well-being because…

• San Diego’s youth deserve more than promises — they deserve meaningful investments in their future. The Office of Child and Youth Success (OCYS) was created to make that vision a reality. Since 2022, OCYS has empowered young people, expanded civic participation, and implemented innovative programs like the Municipal Child Care Benefit, all while operating with a small but mighty team of three.

  But right now, the future of OCYS is at risk.
  Instead of expanding support, the proposed budget eliminates the Executive Director role and consolidates OCYS into the Library Department — putting the entire mission and impact of this office in jeopardy. This isn’t just a staffing change — it’s a step backward for equity, youth development, and community collaboration.

Please act now to modify the budget!

OR

• The creation of the Office of Child and Youth Success (OCYS) wasn’t an overnight win — it was a community victory decades in the making. For over 20 years, San Diegans — youth, parents, educators, and organizers — have fought for a dedicated City investment in young people’s futures. OCYS was that dream finally coming to life.

  But now, in 2025, we’re at risk of losing what we waited so long to build.

  The proposed elimination of the OCYS Executive Director and consolidation into the Library Department threatens to erase decades of advocacy and organizing.

  AND…

  That is why I urge the City to:

• Reinstate the Executive Director position for OCYS so the office can continue implementing the Child and Youth Master Plan with clear leadership and accountability.
•  

Reposition OCYS for Strategic Impact: Remove the Office of Child and Youth Success (OCYS) from under the Library Department and place it in a more strategic location within City operations—such as the Economic Development Department or through a consolidation with the Department of Race and Equity. This shift would protect OCYS from recurring budget vulnerabilities, strengthen its role in advancing youth equity, and enhance coordination across City agencies while aligning with broader equity and workforce goals.  

Protect the full $200,000 operating budget and 3 FTE positions that have proven essential in securing $3.7 million in external funds and delivering real outcomes for youth and families.

Good afternoon, Council Members. My name is [NAME]. I am part of [ORGANIZATION]. We are a member of the Community Budget Alliance.

The City of San Diego’s budget should equitably spend public dollars, prioritize communities and neighborhoods with the greatest need, and actively combat systemic racism, discrimination, and income inequality. Mayor Gloria’s proposed budget does the opposite by balancing the budget at the expense of low-income and BIPOC communities. 

• The City of San Diego actively criminalizes poverty by spending millions of dollars on poverty tows (approximately $1.5 million) and police enforcement of the City of San Diego’s street vendor ordinance ($2.9 million). Instead of investing in supporting San Diego’s most vulnerable communities, the Mayor’s budget punishes them.
•  

SDPD authorizes 20,000 tows annually, with 37% of those constituting poverty tows—infractions for unpaid tickets, expired registration, or 72-hour parking violations. 

Poverty tows disproportionately harm working communities, deepening cycles of poverty by stripping individuals of the reliable transportation they need for work, education, and basic survival. For unhoused San Diegans, losing a vehicle often means losing their last connection to stability.

Street vending represents economic opportunity and cultural heritage, but San Diego’s ordinance criminalizes vendors instead of empowering them. San Diego’s street vending ordinance criminalizes vendors and prohibits them from accessing many high-traffic, more profitable areas, instead of promoting entrepreneurship, as intended by SB 946.

[Add a short personal story about how you or someone you know has been impacted.]

The City can take steps to lessen the criminalization of poverty by ending poverty tows and the criminalization of street vendors. 

Please act now to modify the budget!