Financial Outlook

The County of San Diego’s 2022-23 budget provides the blueprint, from funding to expenditures, to build a just, sustainable and resilient future for all San Diegans.

The County’s adopted budget is designed to help improve the lives all San Diegans, especially the most vulnerable. In Fiscal Year 2022-23, the budget will increase 1.8% from the previous year to $7.36 billion. Overall, the County will increase the number of staff positions by 1,065 or 5.7% next year to 19,847.50 full-time equivalent positions.

While there is an overall decrease in the Health and Human Services Agency tied to the reduction for one-time costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic response, there are significant fiscal increases to the Health and Human Services Agency. Those increases are largely driven by adding employees to address several key priority areas across departments ― by continuing to expand availability of services, promote equitable delivery of services and improve outcomes. This increase is primarily addressing increasing caseloads in programs including CalFresh, Medi-Cal and In-Home Support Services. It will also bolster several County priority areas including Behavioral Health Services, Child Welfare Services and Public Health Services.

Additional increases meet heightened need for essential services, including the Behavioral Health Continuum of Care, its school-based outpatient treatment for children, and a continued expansion of crisis-diversion services and long-term care beds.

The new budget includes new funding to address homelessness. As part of the new budget, in March, the Board made an additional $10 million available to cities to buy shelters and places to stay for people experiencing homelessness. One recent partnership with the Lucky Duck Foundation and the City of San Diego resulted in a 150-bed emergency shelter that opened in September. Increased services also continue to help address the economic and social impacts of the pandemic, such as food, nutrition, and tenant and legal services.

The Public Safety Group will receive added resources to support numerous new programs. Those include indigent and immigrant rights legal defense; a Defense Pilot Program for post-conviction relief activities to provide clients opportunities to mitigate their criminal records and successfully reintegrate to their communities; a new Youth Development Academy and Pretrial services in Probation. In addition, one-time investments will fund several improvements. Those include providing services at the South County Trauma Center and de-escalation and youth-development training for Probation staff; the acquisition of a twin-engine firefighting helicopter to strengthen fire protection; and funding to improve the health and safety of incarcerated persons, and enhance staff safety, at the George Bailey Detention Facility.

The budget builds upon the foundation set by the Board and enhances our County’s reimagined General Management System and new Strategic Initiatives: Sustainability, Equity, Empower, Community and Justice. The County remains focused on fiscal responsibility and this budget supports that while expanding on and providing services to our region.

Visit the San Diego County Adopted Budget.

Total Adopted Budget: $7.36 billion