Printer-friendly version
Two Democratic candidates vying for the District 1 seat want the county to delay its budget approval until after the seat is filled.
By Lisa Halverstadt and Jim Hinch, Voice of San Diego
April 4, 2025 (San Diego) - Two Democratic candidates for supervisor are urging the county to delay its annual budget vote until after a now-vacant District 1 seat is filled. That push appears unlikely to garner needed support from a sitting board majority but a 2-2 political split on the county board may mean the candidates get their wish by default.
Imperial Beach Mayor Paloma Aguirre and Chula Vista Deputy Mayor Carolina Chavez argued Wednesday that residents of the South Bay district deserve a voice during the county’s upcoming budget process.
“Passing a county budget without South County at the table isn’t just wrong — it’s a recipe for disastrous shortchanging of our communities,” Aguirre wrote in a statement. “Instead of rushing through the entire $8.5 billion budget without South County’s voice, the county should adopt an interim budget now with the full-year budget voted on by supervisors who represent all of San Diego County, including District 1.”
Chavez struck a similar tone.
“I definitely think we should hold back from making any decisions that would impact District 1,” Chavez said. “District 1 is severely historically underserved, and I think voting without a supervisor there that represents this unique district that will be heavily impacted by any decision taken, I think we should wait until after the election for any decision there.”
At least two sitting county supervisors on opposite sides of the political aisle aren’t on board with postponing the county process that is for now scheduled to end with a June 24 budget vote.
Meanwhile, the District 1 election is April 8 and if no candidate wins more than 50 percent of votes, the top two finishers will compete in a July 1 runoff.
County code calls for the Board of Supervisors to approve the budget for the fiscal year that begins in July by the fourth week of June “unless the Board finds it impractical to do so.”
That means a majority vote by the Board of Supervisors is likely needed to formally change that schedule.
Supervisors Joel Anderson and Terra Lawson-Remer said Wednesday they don’t want to do that, meaning that’s highly unlikely to happen – at least formally.
County spokesperson Tammy Glenn wrote in a Wednesday email that there has been “no action” by current supervisors to adjust this process and that Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton is preparing to release her recommended budget on May 1.
Glenn also noted that the District 1 administrative staffers are continuing to support their constituents and that all board offices are sharing details about how to participate in the budget process.
“The county is committed to proposing a balanced recommended budget that responds to the region’s needs while prioritizing mandated services and identifying ways to reduce costs given current financial challenges,” Glenn wrote, hinting at a projected $138.5 million budget deficit.
Lawson-Remer says she’s not inclined to postpone the budget process including public budget hearings as the county faces federal cuts.
Yet she expects current divisions between Republicans and Democrats on the board to translate into the delayed approval of the county budget – even with a scheduled June vote. She doesn’t expect a budget to be approved until a new District 1 supervisor is sworn in and believes that supervisor will be the deciding vote on the county’s budget.
“Delaying an initial vote would only delay the public budget hearings, but given political realities would have no actual impact on when the budget is adopted,” Lawson-Remer wrote in a statement. “In short, this debate is a bit of a red herring because our Board is at an impasse split 2-2, so the reality is that no budget will be adopted until a fifth supervisor is sworn in.”
Republican Supervisor Joel Anderson also doesn’t want to postpone the process and notes that the county approved a budget following former supervisor Nathan Fletcher’s resignation from the District 4 seat in 2023. Anderson also flagged his concerns about what he deemed a quiet campaign to postpone the county budget vote in a Times of San Diego op-ed last week.
His position on delaying the vote hasn’t changed.
“A delay in the passage of the county’s budget punishes over 600,000 constituents who live in the unincorporated communities,” Anderson wrote in a statement this week. “The county is 100% responsible for these communities, which I don’t expect those who live in the cities to understand.”
He also added that the county can adjust its budget with four votes after June approval to incorporate potential changes.
District candidate John McCann, a fellow Republican who is now Chula Vista mayor, also doesn’t seem interested in a delay.
“The true debate is not about delaying the budget vote, but what the new District 1 supervisor would do to fix County’s $140 million plus structural deficit,” McCann wrote in an email.
Democratic candidate Vivian Moreno, a San Diego councilmember who is also seeking the District 1 seat, didn’t respond to a request from Voice of San Diego on Wednesday.
Spokespeople for fellow Republican Supervisor Jim Desmond and Democratic Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, who won Fletcher’s former board seat in 2023, also didn’t return messages.
Lisa is a senior investigative reporter who digs into some of San Diego's biggest challenges including homelessness, city real estate debacles, the region's behavioral health crisis and more. She welcomes story tips and questions. Contact her directly at lisa@vosd.org or (619) 325-0528. Follow her on Twitter @LisaHalverstadt.
Jim Hinch is Voice of San Diego's South county reporter.
He can be reached by email at Jim.Hinch@voiceofsandiego.org and followed on Twitter @JimKHinch.
Subscribe to his newsletter South County Report.
This story was first published by Voice of San Diego. Sign up for VOSD’s newsletters here.
Comments
abouf Chula Vista? . .