A Message from the Chief Administrative Officer Ebony N. Shelton
June 24, 2025
As the Chief Administrative Officer, I am honored to serve the people of San Diego County and to present this year’s Adopted Budget. Recognizing that our communities are navigating uncertain times, with growing needs across every corner of our region, this $8.63 billion balanced budget reflects our deep commitment to serving the residents of our region.
It represents a 1% increase over last year’s plan and supports 20,280.25 staff years—ensuring core, mandated services remain strong, while prioritizing meaningful investments in behavioral health, public safety, and strategies to increase efficiency during challenging fiscal conditions. This budget reflects both responsibility and heart—anchored in service and guided by our community’s needs.
Our current challenges are the most significant we have faced in many years and include potential federal funding and policy changes as well as slowing tax revenues at the state and local levels.
We recognize that there will be direct impacts on our programs and services, some already included in this adopted budget, and others that will emerge as conditions evolve. And, while we cannot predict all the potential impacts to overall operations due to shifts in the economy, we are preparing thoughtfully and proactively. We remain committed to being responsive, adaptive, and community centered as we navigate these changes together in the coming months and years.
In other words, while it includes difficult choices, this budget provides a path to create a degree of certainty where there is uncertainty and creates a framework that provides fiscal stability for the future. It uses innovative, inclusive and data-driven solutions to minimize impacts by streamlining how we are structured and how we deliver services while valuing our workforce.
Most importantly, the budget is developed with input from you – our residents and partners. Community engagement is at the center of how the County operates, and we gather input year-round, creating opportunities for innovation and collaboration to inform the vital programs and services funded by the budget.
It continues to invest in housing, homeless solutions, behavioral health – efforts that are vital to supporting the well-being and resilience of our communities throughout the region.
Specifically, it continues the County’s ongoing commitment to behavioral health resources, leveraging new funding opportunities to invest more than $100 million in the ongoing shift from a crisis-focused to a care-first system that supports long-term recovery through community-based treatment, prevention and alternatives to jail and emergency rooms. And it supports more than 1 million San Diegans who need access to safety net programs that are critical to ensuring people and families have the food and support they need, programs such as CalWORKs, Medi-Cal and CalFresh.
It increases investments in public safety, with additional funding for County Fire, Public Defender, Medical Examiner, the Probation Department and the Sheriff’s Office to provide care for youth and adults in our custody, deploy more ambulances and to support programs such as Alternatives to Incarceration and job training, mental health and substance use disorder treatment. And it establishes a Community Engagement Unit in our Office of Emergency Services.
Our County budget remains focused on making San Diego a place where people can thrive—where residents feel supported, and where the County workforce is empowered to serve with heart, purpose, and integrity. It reflects our shared commitment to ensuring this region continues to be a great place to live, work, and play for everyone who calls it home.
Ebony N. Shelton
Chief Administrative Officer
CONTACT
County Administration Center
1600 Pacific Highway, San Diego, CA 92101
