A $9.16 Billion Budget and What It Actually Buys
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The San Diego County Board of Supervisors gathered at nine o'clock Thursday morning at the County Administration Center on Harbor Drive to vote on adopting the Fiscal Year 2026-27 budget — a $9.16 billion spending plan representing a $522 million, or 6.1 percent, increase over the current year. The motion requires four of five supervisor votes to pass. If deliberations run long, a final vote could extend to Friday, June 26th.
Behavioral health — encompassing mental health and substance use treatment — commands the single largest programmatic allocation at $1.4 billion, reflecting the county's ongoing effort to rebuild its infrastructure following state reforms to the Mental Health Services Act. Infrastructure spending includes $265.9 million for roads, $84.5 million for fire protection in unincorporated areas, and $71.5 million for libraries — services that residents of Lakeside, Spring Valley, Alpine, and unincorporated El Cajon depend on entirely, lacking city governments of their own.
A notable policy choice embedded in the budget is $23 million set aside to help families navigate new benefit eligibility requirements stemming from the federal HR 1 reconciliation bill. The county is proactively spending local funds to absorb potential disruption to Medi-Cal and CalFresh recipients caught in shifting federal policy. Also on Thursday's board agenda: a new ordinance updating Assessment Appeals Board procedures to introduce prehearing conferences and online filing for property tax disputes, replacing a process long criticized as paper-heavy and slow.
Separately, the board received the launch of a community engagement process around San Pasqual Academy, the county's 238-acre residential campus for foster youth in Valley Center. Four public sessions are scheduled in July — in-person gatherings on July 15th and 17th, and virtual sessions on July 20th and 22nd, all running 10 a.m. to noon. The Board of Supervisors is set to receive a summary in August, with a full plan delivered within 18 months. The county has been explicit that no closure decision has been made; foster youth advocates have called for the campus to be preserved and expanded.