As San Diego faces a potentially bankrupting $200 million deficit, Mayor Jerry Sanders showed the strength of his scalpel in a new proposal to cut $82.6 million out of the city’s budget last Tuesday.
Sanders’ proposal calls on the City Council to adopt a slightly more stringent budget by Jan. 1 – a decision they have until Dec. 14 to brood over.
At the heart of the new budget plan is the elimination of 530 city jobs – 330 of which are vacant, 200 currently filled. On the upside, these soon-to-be jobless workers will have the option of transferring to another job. On the down – there is no guarantee there will be other jobs to transfer to.
The bulk of cutbacks are to burden the San Diego Police Department, who will have $26 million less in their budget next year. Yet instead of being forced to take out the scissors on sworn officers, all equestrian patrols and 12 canine units, from 36 to 24, will be eliminated.
Regarding the cities beaches, Sanders has no sympathy. His proposal to cut $18.6 million from the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department will result in suspended lifeguard services at Torrey Pines Beach, the removal of fire pits from all city beaches and the closure of Mission Bay’s restrooms. Sun-soaking residents will have to be on their own trash duty as Sanders has planned on reduced beach cleaning.
Speaking of trash – garbage collectors would work four 10-hours shifts, instead of five 8-hour shifts if the proposal is accepted.
Fearless, undaunted and determined, Sanders is once again attempting to cut library hours. This cost-cutting measure was met with uproar last year as San Diego residents – particularly those in Ocean Beach – fought vigorously to reverse the proposal to shut down libraries.
But since then the budget has only worsened, and Sanders is falling back on his old ways. He proposes not shutting down any libraries, but eliminating Sunday hours and having specific locations open only three times a week.
His plan is to be paired with $95.6 million in one-time savings and budget adjustments.
It’s the deep cuts Sanders is trying to prevent with his new budget proposal that depends on one-time savings and cutbacks. In his opinion, the plan’s cuts, although numerous, are palpable compared to what the city would have to undergo if services were to be completely eliminated.
"By adopting this budget, which will take effect Jan. 1, we will keep the city on a steady course, preserve the pace of our financial reforms and prevent deep service cuts that would do unnecessary and perhaps irreparable harm to our quality of life," Sanders said.
"We understood what our city would look like if we tried to balance the budget entirely by slashing programs and public services," Sanders said. "It would have required closing fire stations and deep, deep cuts in the uniformed ranks of our police officers and fire departments," he said. "It would mean year-round closure of many of our libraries and recreation centers. It would have led to an unacceptable degradation in our quality of life."
So far City Council has been supportive of the Mayor’s initiative. City Council President Ben Hueso said he supports the Mayor “in making tough decisions to close this unprecedented budget gap while maintaining the quality of life for all San Diegans,” and Councilmember Tony Young said he “clearly understands that Mayor Sanders has no choice but to submit to us proposed budget reductions to address an over $180 million budget deficit for fiscal year 2011.”
“If not addressed now and in a collaborative fashion with the City Council,” Young said, “Mayor Sanders, City Unions, and the citizens of San Diego we will be facing $200 million deficits every year for the next few years and faced with laying-off thousands of employees.”
“The Mayor’s proposed budget reductions are painful,” he
concluded, “however they are not a fatal blow to the city’s workers and services as they could have been.”
Residents do not have to sit idly by with twiddling thumbs while Council debates over the budget. Young invites concerned residents to attend Council meetings in early December and bring additional input at the final meeting of San Diego Speaks on December 9th at 6:00 p.m. at the Joe and Vi Jacobs Center, 404 Euclid Ave.
Comments
It looks like the mayor is trying to take the high road by his initiating of a plan that will avoid "deep cuts". Rather than solve this city's increasing problems of joblessness, he is only choosing the lesser of two evils here with a stop gap approach that will eventually result in less jobs and more uncertainty for an already anxious workforce.
Great article Ash! The mayor can cut the equestrian patrol, but I want to keep my firepits at the beach! He should create more tourism jobs in San Diego to pump the local economy... there are thousands and thousands of people who want visit San Diego each season as it is a dream destination... let's make more money off of them and keep the firepits :)!
Lay off three thousand government blood suckers and the problem is solved.
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