DATE:
August 26, 2025
23
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
REFORMING THE COUNTY RESERVE POLICY TO PROTECT CORE SERVICES AND VULNERABLE COMMUNITIES FROM FEDERAL DISINVESTMENT (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
The County of San Diego's (County) recently adopted Operational Plan for Fiscal Year 2025-26 is balanced and demonstrates strong fiscal discipline and careful belt-tightening to manage projected funding shortfalls. County leadership has shown commendable responsibility in safeguarding taxpayer dollars and prioritizing essential local needs.
However, the County now faces threats from deep cuts due to the passage of H.R. 1, or the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act"-a law that hands massive tax breaks to billionaires and big corporations while slashing the critical services thousands of our residents rely on. In San Diego, the impacts are immediate and severe: over $300 million in new annual costs to the County, and significant cuts to food assistance, healthcare, and core social services that put local families, seniors, and veterans at risk. These aren't abstract numbers. The proposed cuts will impact our neighbors, children, parents, and seniors who rely on the services the federal government now wants to discontinue.
Over 350,000 San Diegans on Medicaid will soon be required to double their redetermination paperwork, and 325,000 San Diegans will face new Medicaid work requirements. CalFresh food assistance is also affected, with nearly 100,000 San Diegans potentially facing new work requirements. These federal policies will cause people to lose access to food, healthcare, and critical support. Moreover, the impacts will ripple across our communities, hurting our hospitals, healthcare workers, grocery stores, farms and farmworkers, and lead to rising costs for all San Diegans.
The County must step in to fill the void the federal government leaves behind. We can't control what Congress does, but we can ensure we leverage all our tools to protect our ...
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