Board of Supervisors to renew proposal to offset budget cuts

The historic San Diego County Administration Building where the Board of Supervisors meets File photo by Times of San Dieogo staff San Diego County Board of Supervisors Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and Vice Chair Monica Montgomery Steppe Tuesday will renew a proposal to tap into the county s reserves to offset cuts coming from Washington D C The supervisors say the proposal to be heard at their a m meeting would protect the county s citizens from the Trump administration slashing of robustness care and food assistance programs by using ample reserves Personnel have explained that Trump s One Big Beautiful Bill Act which passed Congress earlier this year is projected to cost the county more than million each year in additional costs or lost revenue According to Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe nearly San Diegans pitfall losing healthcare care and could lose food assistance We can t let San Diego be dragged into a fiscal storm by Washington Lawson-Remer reported This amendment is our bridge protecting wellbeing care food and population safety now while we work toward long-term solutions to keep San Diegans healthy fed and safe Defenders of the bill say it delivers conservative economic principles tax cuts for families and businesses enhances edge safety and will boost economic rise The supervisors proposal would make two updates to the county s reserve plan Modifying the reserve target calculation to two months of operating expenses only reducing mentioned target from million to million and Recognizing all locally controlled reserves not just unassigned funds Both of these changes which the supervisors say follow best practices would open up around million in flexible Board-controlled reserves that could help stabilize services in the face of federal or state cuts or during an economic recession over the next four fiscal years they declared This is about smart fiscal governance Montgomery Steppe commented We re not touching long-term savings for frivolous expenses we re making sure that when families need us largest part we have the tools to respond The move follows a nearly identical proposal in April to unlock a considerable portion of reserves which failed by a vote of - - In a report Lawson-Remer mentioned the previous vote wasn t just a procedural setback it was a choice to tie our hands while Washington walks away from its responsibilities We offered a common-sense key to safeguard San Diego s majority vulnerable communities she disclosed Instead our Republican colleagues chose polemics and posturing over preparedness However the results of July s special polling to fill the seat vacated by Nora Vargas has changed the calculus Newly elected Supervisor Paloma Aguirre is also a Democrat on the ostensibly nonpartisan board At the time Supervisor Jim Desmond was the sole no vote Supervisor Joel Anderson abstained He explained in recent times that he would vote no again San Diegans are already paying several of the highest housing vigor and grocery costs in the nation he stated Families and seniors are stretched to the limit And yet while people struggle to pay for gas food and fire insurance politicians are voting to line executive s pockets with your money Unlocking hundreds of millions this day might sound good on paper but the coming day it leaves us vulnerable It drains the very reserves meant to protect taxpayers in times of dilemma forces higher borrowing and opens the door to higher taxes to fill the gap The renewed proposal would set up guardrails for using the reserves only allowing funds to be accessed in tough economic times and requiring an additional vote by the board Lawson-Remer and Montgomery Steppe say no more than of the newly available reserves would be available in a single fiscal year