Morning Report: County Budget To Add More Workers

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The County Board of Supervisors kicked off their review of the 2022-23 budget this week with a public hearing on Monday and another to come Thursday. The budget would add more than 1,000 staff to the county, but it’s still 1.1 percent smaller than last year’s due to one-time COVID-19 costs that are no longer needed, the Times of San Diego reported. 

Amid a 10 percent jump in county homelessness, the budget commits $10 million toward partnering with cities to set up shelters and $11.9 million toward affordable housing. 

Under the current proposal, Child Welfare Services will get more staff to help connect families to childcare. The pandemic caused about 10 percent of care centers to close. Times of San Diego also reports families still face expensive services and long waitlists, and childcare providers themselves face barriers that prevent them from expanding. 

The budget would establish Mobile Crisis Response Teams of mental health experts instead of police, expand the Public Defender’s Office to represent immigrants and others in need and provide healthcare and other services to inmates.

Creating more trails, cutting greenhouse gas emissions and improving the Tijuana River Valley also made their way into the recommended budget. 

Public comment can be made at Thursday’s hearing at 5:30 p.m., virtually or in-person. The revised recommended budget will be made public on June 24. 

Need help understanding how this process works? Check out our San Diego 101 episode on the county budget process here. 

Other County News: The county voted to develop a government land action strategy in partnership with the San Diego Foundation and other jurisdictions to build thousands of affordable housing units on government-owned land over the next three to five years. 

The Close Races Aren’t So Close Anymore 

Refreshing the registrar’s website on election night can only get you so far on the races that are too close to call. But now, as more votes are counted, it’s clearer who is moving on to the general.

Chula Vista Mayor’s Race: Councilman John McCann had a strong lead over the five Democrats in the race, but we weren’t sure who would take second. It seems now that Ammar Campa-Najjar has secured that spot after a close race with Councilwoman Jill Galvez. We spoke to residents earlier last month about what they want from their next mayor. Galvez told Voice of San Diego that her decision to run came from being unhappy with the direction the city was going in, as she put it, “I’m gonna drive the bus or get off the bus.” 

Martinez Will Face Hemmerling in November: Undersheriff Kelly Martinez, a Democrat, advanced easily to the runoff. By Tuesday it was looking more and more like the person joining her will be Republican John Hemmerling. On election night Hemmerling and Dave Myers were within a couple percentage points from one another, but as more ballots came in, the count favored Hemmerling. As our Jesse Marx put it, regardless of who took second place, it was important to note that Martinez, a Democrat who switched her party affiliation in 2020, was leading in a race that’s been historically dominated by Republicans. 

San Diego Unified Board of Education District B: Shana Hazan, the union-backed candidate for the northeastern San Diego school seat, easily made it to the runoff and she will be joined by Godwin Higa. Both candidates are Democrats. Hazan significantly outspent her opponents, Will Huntsberry reported in May. Higa, a former San Diego Unified principal, does have some grassroots support in District B, despite his relatively tiny campaign spending chest. 

In Other News

• KPBS reveals that some San Diego officers who received religious exemptions from the city’s COVID vaccine mandate also claimed their beliefs don’t support COVID swab tests.
• Times of San Diego reports that a federal judge on Monday tentatively ruled that she may allow a new trial to reassess the award for the family of a man who died in the custody of sheriff’s deputies following a blockbuster $85 million verdict.
• County Supervisors Nathan Fletcher and Terra Lawson- Remer want to pursue a policy to allow the county to sue gun manufacturers, Fox 5 San Diego reports. 
• The Union-Tribune reports that the city of San Diego has hired a real estate firm to evaluate the bids to redevelop the sports arena site from three development teams.
• The cast of a recently closed show at the San Diego Repertory Theatre, released a statement alleging racism and misogyny at the theater. The statement alleged that the theater’s problems went beyond financial issues, and that there was a lack of support for artists of color. Days before the allegations became public, the nearly 50-year-old theater announced that it was laying off its staff and suspending productions because of financial distress. (KPBS) 
• Artists will unveil a new mural in Chicano Park that pays tribute to a lowrider car club in San Diego later this month. The five-story mural painted on a bridge pillar was inspired by the lowrider paint techniques, has a glossy finish and includes 30 pound of gold metal flakes. (NBC 7 San Diego) 
• South Bay officials are warning that beaches in Coronado and Imperial Beach could be closed all summer due to pollution from the Tijuana River. (Union-Tribune)
• The San Diego Unified School district may offer $10,000 to new hires in special education and school nursing to help combat personnel woes the district described as a “labor shortage exacerbated by the COVID019 pandemic.” (NBC 7 San Diego)

The Morning Report was written by Catherine Allen, Andrea Lopez-Villafaña, Lisa Halverstadt, Will Huntsberry and Jesse Marx. It was edited by Andrew Keatts.