SAN DIEGO (KGTV) - San Diegans got a chance to see what may or may not have funding cut with the City’s budget for next year.
Mayor Todd Gloria put forth his first budget proposal for FY 2026 on Monday.
"Let me be clear from the outset, this is a difficult budget year,” Gloria said when addressing the City Council on Monday.
Monday was the first step in the budget process as the City and Mayor work to formalize a budget for next year, as it faces a $258 million deficit.
"Our fiscal reality has already required us to make difficult spending reductions,” Gloria said.
One of those reductions, Gloria said, is potential cuts to hours for libraries and rec centers. The proposed draft budget called fora reduction in hours for Sunday and Monday at all libraries,which would result in a possible cut of $8.6 million for the library system budget.
"To me, it was really important to share my story of being homeless, reeducating myself in my early 30s, and showing there's success,” Omar Araiza, who advocated for library funding, said.
Araiza spent his Monday afternoon advocating for library funding and explaining how it has benefited him while he was homeless.
"I studied in the library, and then after the library closed, I stayed and used the streetlights to read my book and move myself forward. And it actually led me to become educated as a Bachelor's and then a Master's,” Araiza said.
Those in support of the Arts & Culture community, which stands to possibly lose an estimated $1.5 million in potential cuts, also pleaded their case early on to keep programs funded.
"So, us coming together as a group is showing how many people these cuts-these potential cuts-would really impact,” Becky Goodman, the deputy director of philanthropy at the La Jolla Playhouse, said. "A lot of these programs are offered for free. And the way that we can offer them for free is because the city, the county, the state, or the federal government helps subsidize them."
A final vote from the City Council on the budget won't happen until early June, after different reviews and hearings on the budget during May.
The Mayor said this budget will continue to fund homelessness services, public safety, and infrastructure. He added on Monday that the decisions about possible cuts weren’t easy to make.
"This is a first draft; a starting point for a longer conversation. And we know that this financial picture could change substantially before we deliver a proposed mid-year may budget that is informed by your feedback and the feedback of our San Diego residents,” Gloria said.
