Understanding the 2025-26 Budget
The County’s budget is a two-year plan showing how funds will be used for the first year. Spending recommendations are made for the second year. The County’s fiscal year runs from July 1 to June 30. The Adopted Budget for 2025-26 below will be in effect until June 30, 2026.
Planning for the FY 2026-27 budget is already underway. This phase focuses on recommendations and priorities for the upcoming fiscal year — and your input helps shape it.
Total Adopted Budget: $8.63 Billion
Fiscal Year 2025-26
Read the complete Adopted Budget.
Quick Reference
A two-year budget plan that shows how the County will spend its money for the first year and recommendations for the second year. View the 2025-26 Recommended Budget.
After the recommended budget is submitted to the Board of Supervisors, a change letter suggests proposed additions.
View the 2025-26 recommended Budget Change Letter.
A two-year budget plan that shows how the County will spend its money for the first year and recommendation for the second year.
Revenues
$8.63 Billion
Adopted Operational Plan Fiscal Year
2025-26
Explore the various budgeted revenues
adopted by the Board of Supervisors. This includes revenues from
taxes, fees and other charges for services.
Expenditures
$8.63 Billion
Adopted Plan Fiscal Year 2025-26
Explore the various budgeted expenditures adopted the Board of Supervisors. This includes expenditures in public safety, health, land use and finance and general government.
Total Adopted Budget: $8.63 Billion
Fiscal Year 2025-26
Health & Human Services
$3,513M
+$66.3M/+1.9%
40.8% of total budget
Public Safety
$2,924.2M
+$162.3M/+5.9%
33.9% of total budget
Finance & General Government
$987.3M
+$49.9M/+5.3%
11.4% of total budget
Land Use & Environment
$782.1M
-$15.1M/-1.9%
9.0% of total budget
Finance Other
$382M
-$69.0M/-15.3%
4.4% of total budget
Capital Program
$45.8M
-$90.3M/-66.3%,
0.5% of total budget
- Balanced as required by state law.
- Prioritizes mandated services and reducing costs.
- Aligns service levels with state requirements where the County exceeds them, such as processing times for safety net programs.
- Adjusts non-mandated services.
- Prioritizes funding for critical infrastructure and major maintenance projects.
Total Adopted Staffing: 20,280.25
Fiscal Year 2025-26
Health & Human Services
8,075.5
(-168/-2.0%)
Public Safety
8,061
(-16/-0.2%)
Finance & General Government
1,991
(+2/+0.1%)
Land Use & Environment
2,152.75
(-9/-0.4%)
- Staffing Strategies
- Eliminating or not filling some vacant positions.
- Consolidating operations in some departments and offices.
- Managing through attrition meaning when someone leaves a position, it may not be filled.
- Increasing staffing in vital areas like regional disaster recovery and public safety services.
This section provides funding highlights – investments in programs and services to support the community. Recognizing that changes in federal and state policies and funding could significantly impact County operations, the County will continue to monitor how shifts may affect funding streams and program mandates and consider budget adjustments as needed.
Those challenges will have a major impact on the way we deliver services and many of the long-term impacts are still unknown. We will continue to manage these risks using several strategies including:
- Prioritizing mandatory services – things the County is required to provide
- Consolidating/restructuring and streamlining operations whenever possible
- Delaying or suspending new funding requests
- Financial adjustments over the long term to ensure fiscal stability
- Maximizing other funding sources when possible
To learn more about funding in specific areas, see the County’s full adopted budget.
Housing and Homelessness
Housing opportunities to meet community needs, access to shelter, housing and services.
- $133 million to provide housing resources to vulnerable populations, including support of new affordable and supportive housing developments.
- $29.4 million for 40,000 building inspections, plan reviews, mobile home safety and streamlining the development process to advance new housing.
- $15 million for emergency housing through the Regional Homeless Assistance Program.
- Over $6 million in grant funds to help those experiencing homelessness in the San Diego Riverbed and Plaza Bonita areas.
- $3.6 million to help youth who are homeless or at risk of homelessness get into permanent housing.
- $2.6 million for homeless encampment cleanup and assistance in the unincorporated area and on County property.
- $1.6 million to operate Bancroft and Magnolia Safe Parking Programs for people sleeping in their cars. A third safe parking site is planned to open temporarily in Grantville in summer 2025.
- Starting construction on 60 Troy Street Sleeping Cabins to provide emergency shelter and services to an estimated 140 people each year in the unincorporated communities.
- 15 affordable housing developments partially funded by the County are under construction regionwide. Another 20 developments are in the works.
- $500-a-month rental subsidy for nearly 400 low-income, rent-burdened older adults.
- $13.1 million increase to provide housing, including short-term rental assistance, for people with serious behavioral health conditions.
Behavioral Health
Mental health and substance use support.
- $26.2 million increase for substance use outpatient services.
- $24 million increase for mental health case management, residential services, subacute care services, and new partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient hospitalization services for children and adults.
- $22.9 million increase for capital improvements to improve, expand and preserve licensed board and care facilities for adults and seniors.
- $15 million to expand the behavioral health workforce and develop a new training and tuition program.
- $14.6 million increase for two new Crisis Stabilization Units in El Cajon and Chula Vista.
- $6.9 million to create a new 16-bed children’s mental health crisis residential facility at the Polinsky Children's Center.
Public Safety
Law enforcement, fire protection, emergency preparedness and disaster recovery.
- $3.5 million to enhance fire and emergency medical services in Dulzura, Pauma Valley and East Otay Mesa areas.
- $3 million for a biometric health monitoring system to detect medical distress in youth in custody.
- $3 million to improve a temporary space during the construction of a new Sheriff's substation in Ramona.
- $840,000 and five employees to the Office of Emergency Services to further support community engagement and disaster recovery efforts.
- $2.2 million invested in Probation’s Less Restrictive Placement program, a community-based program to support justice-involved youth in a less restrictive environment, helping them safely and successfully reintegrate into society.
- $14.3 million toward the purchase of a helicopter for expanded firefighting and search and rescue missions.
- $1.2 million to buy two ambulances for the unincorporated area.
- $1.9 million for the Medical Examiner’s decedent
transportation services and toxicology equipment.
- $5.7 million to support the Sheriff's medical and mental
health services contracts.
- $9 million for services to Probation clients, primarily to support contract cost increases related to youth health care services.
- Six Probation employees including an additional canine officer to support Probation youth.
- A new Resource and Reentry Hub is planned to help formerly incarcerated people get the resources and support they need to successfully reenter the community.
Infrastructure
Roads, buildings, critical maintenance, Sheriff's substations, libraries, parks and other community enhancements.
- $52.1 million for road safety including traffic signals, curb ramps, pedestrian crossings, guardrails and new sidewalks and bike lanes.
- $47.8 million to operate 33 branch libraries, four electric vehicle outreach vans, five automated book kiosks and the e-Library.
- $35.9 million to operate 158 park facilities, 58,459 acres of parkland and 389 miles of trails.
- $29 million to improve Sheriff's jails, including upgrades to fire alarm systems, security equipment and additional technology to support safety, security and code compliance.
- $9 million to update the East Mesa Juvenile Detention Facility.
- $5.7 million increase for a total of $71.3 million to maintain 2,000 miles of County roads.
- An increase of $145,000 for a total of $4.8 million to clean culverts, channels and storm drains to help prevent storm flooding.
- $1.5 million to build a fire training tower.
- Rebuilding of the Mira Mesa Epicentre into a County-operated community center scheduled to open in fall 2026.
- New Casa de Oro Library to open in spring 2026.
- A new mobile veterinary surgical unit to begin delivering spay/neuter and basic pet wellness services to unincorporated areas with the highest need.
Vulnerable Populations
Protecting the natural environment to preserve it for future generations.
- $843.5 million to help more than a million people with no other means of support get access to CalFresh food assistance, Medi-Cal health coverage, CalWORKs and other public assistance.
- $489.1 million to strengthen and keep at-risk families and children together.
- $154.9 million to help families who support foster and adopted children.
- $11.5 million increase for a total of $223.5 million for In-Home Supportive Services for vulnerable adults and persons living with disabilities.
- The South County Family Justice Center opens in 2025 and will offer comprehensive trauma recovery services to those who need it. The one-stop shop will be like the North County Family Justice Center in San Marcos.
- Continued funding to provide 1.5 million meals to older adults at community spaces and for pickup or home delivery.
- Two community gardens are being developed for Spring Valley and Ramona to increase food security for low-income communities.
Environmental Sustainability
Protecting the natural environment to preserve it for future generations.
- $23.6 million to protect the region's watershed and for new green infrastructure projects.
- $4.1 million to install new electric vehicle charging stations for the public and for fast electric vehicle chargers for County vehicles in rural areas.
- $1.6 million increase for a total of $4.1 million to implement the Climate Action Plan.
- $1.7 million to monitor and report beach and bay water quality.
- $1.6 million to reduce greenhouse gases.
- $1.3 million to improve the Tijuana River Valley through dredging and habitat restoration.
- $1 million to plant 2,000 trees on County property to lower greenhouse gases.
Additional Priorities
- $267.3 million to prevent epidemics and the spread of disease and ensure access for all through public health centers, home visiting programs and pharmaceutical services.
- Funding to operate a new $93 million state-of-the-art public health lab that will protect the public by testing for infectious diseases.
- $1 million to operate Safe Destination Nights, an after-school program serving 8,000 youths.
- $15.6 million to help protect public health by monitoring and treating 1,600 known mosquito breeding sites.
View past years budget documents.
Community engagement is at the heart of our operations. The County gathers input year-round to inform the County budget, programs, services, policies and funding.
To learn how you can attend public meetings on important community issues or give your feedback, visit Engage San Diego County.
CONTACT
County Administration Center
1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101
