Last year, San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders publicly stated for the first time that the city would be facing significant service and program cuts at a speech sponsored by the San Diego County Taxpayers Association. Tomorrow, he returns to the association for his first major address on the economy since.
Details about the speech, titled “Building for the Future Despite the Economic Downturn,” are few, though the mayor’s office has called the address “important.” Advance copies won’t be provided until tomorrow morning.
“It’s still being revised,” mayoral spokeswoman Rachel Laing said.
“It will be about reforms and not letting financial hard times stunt our progress,” she added, saying the mayor will discuss potential budget cuts and the city’s deficit, but not specific figures.
There’s no question the city’s budget has seen better days. City officials bridged an $83 million deficit this year and next year could see a $100 million shortfall.
The event is scheduled from 11:30 a.m. to 1:15 p.m. tomorrow at the Town and Country Resort & Convention Center, Atlas Ballroom. The speech is scheduled to begin at noon, and the Taxpayers Association will be charging non members $50 at the door. I’ll be tweeting from the speech tomorrow, so feel free to follow me on Twitter. We’ll likely follow up with more coverage in the afternoon.