DATE:
March 24, 2026
21
TO:
Board of Supervisors
SUBJECT
Title
OPTIMIZING COUNTY FLEET MANAGEMENT TO CAPTURE MILLIONS IN ONGOING TAXPAYER SAVINGS (DISTRICTS: ALL)
Body
OVERVIEW
As the federal government withdraws key investments and budget uncertainties grow nationwide, local governments are being asked to do more with less. The County of San Diego (County) cannot control instability in Washington, D.C., but we can control how responsibly we steward public resources and protect the services our residents depend on. With rising costs and increasing demand for essential services, we must ensure every taxpayer dollar is directed where it delivers the most for our communities. This work starts with examining our own operations and finding cost-saving opportunities.
This item is part of a broader effort by the County to identify every reasonable efficiency and cost-saving opportunity before any service reductions are considered-an effort that has already produced millions in ongoing savings through modernizing County communications technology and centralizing space management.
This item focuses on another practical opportunity to strengthen fiscal stewardship and protect core services: improving oversight and management of the County's vehicle fleet. The County maintains approximately 4,500 vehicles and off-road equipment across departments, and the Department of General Services procures hundreds of vehicles each year on behalf of departments. Most are standard light-duty vehicles used to transport staff between work sites. Light duty vehicles are defined as a passenger car or light truck with a gross vehicle weight rating of 8,500 pounds or less (e.g. sedans, SUVs, trucks, or vans). Board Policy H-1 was adopted to reduce underutilized vehicles and control long-term fleet costs. It establishes two utilization benchmarks: (1) vehicles driven fewer than 10,000 miles annually, or (2) vehicles averaging less than one trip per day. Board Policy H-1 requires ...
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