Community leaders lobby against police cuts as San Diego grapples with worsening deficit [The San Diego Union-Tribune]
Residents and community leaders from across San Diego lobbied city officials Wednesday not to cut Police Department funding, despite new projections showing the city’s budget deficit is worse than expected.
The new projections show the tourism-reliant city is facing an $85.4 million deficit during the current fiscal year that ends June 30. That’s on top of a $154 million deficit projected for the new fiscal year.
Mayor Todd Gloria says he is exploring possible mid-year emergency budget cuts to close the $85.4 million gap. But he said he is not proposing cuts immediately, primarily because the city may receive significant federal and state COVID-19 relief money.