Mayor Todd Gloria today released the Fiscal Year 2027 May Revise, proposing targeted protections of neighborhood services and community programs while maintaining a balanced budget focused on core City priorities. 

The May Revise reflects feedback received throughout the budget process from residents, community organizations, library and parks advocates, and members of the City Council. While difficult reductions and tradeoffs remain necessary to address the City’s significant budget deficit, the revised proposal restores select services and investments where fiscally possible. 

“Even in a difficult budget year, we continued looking for ways to protect neighborhood services responsibly,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “My May Revise restores targeted services in some of our historically underserved communities while still maintaining our focus on the fundamentals for San Diegans: keeping you safe, fixing infrastructure, reducing homelessness, and building more homes.” 

The proposed May Revise includes: 

• Protection of recreation center hours in Council Districts 4, 8, and 9. 
• Protection of library hours in Council Districts 4, 8, and 9.
• Protection of Monday hours at Carmel Valley Library.
• Protection of the North Clairemont Library Branch from closure. 
• Addition of $500,000 for youth drop-in centers. 
• Additional $100,000 investment in the “No Shots Fired” violence prevention program. 
• Protection of staffing support for December Nights planning and operations.
• Protection of shoreline park bathroom maintenance staffing. 
• Partial protection of the Library Matching Program in an amount of $250,000 to support library materials and philanthropic matching contributions.
• Allocation of opioid settlement funds toward treatment and support programs through UC San Diego and the San Diego LGBT Community Center. 
• Funding support for the Dennis V. Allen Comfort Station project and Mission Heights Dog Park improvements. 

Funding for arts and culture grant programs and the Office of Child and Youth Success are not restored in the revised proposal. However, the City is continuing discussions with philanthropic partners to support one dedicated youth-focused position within the Mayor’s Office. 

The two sources funding the protection of services are a slight increase in tourism occupancy tax (TOT), and a $4.3 million transfer from the Golf Enterprise Fund made possible by a new legal interpretation confirming the City’s authority to recover the equivalent of ground rent from the Fund for the public land on which the City’s municipal golf courses operate. 

“Every private golf course in San Diego pays rent for the land it sits on,” said Mayor Todd Gloria. “Our public courses sit on public land owned by the people of San Diego. The new legal guidance allows us to properly account for the value of that land, and to make sure the public benefits when the courses succeed. The Fund retains a healthy balance for course maintenance, operations, and capital projects at Torrey Pines, Balboa Park, and Mission Bay Golf Course. Our municipal courses will remain among the finest in the country.”  

The revised budget proposal maintains the City’s broader priorities of: 

• Keeping you safe.
• Neighborhood infrastructure.
• Reducing homelessness.
• Building more housing to bring down costs. 

“This budget still includes difficult choices,” added Mayor Todd Gloria. “But the May Revise reflects a balanced approach that protects key neighborhood services where possible while keeping the City on stable financial footing for the long term.” 

The City Council will continue reviewing the proposed budget and May Revise in the coming weeks before adoption of a final Fiscal Year 2027 budget. 

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING  

“Thank you to the individuals and organizations who spoke on how limited City resources should be allocated,” said Joe LaCava, San Diego City Council President. “The May Revise restores many of the cuts highlighted by the public and the Council. The Council is still listening as we build toward adoption on June 9th.” 

“Libraries, recreation centers, youth programs, and violence prevention services are essential investments in our neighborhoods and important to the people we serve every day,” said Councilmember Henry L. Foster III. “The proposed restorations in the Mayor’s May Revise reflect the advocacy from residents, community leaders, and my Council colleagues who fought to protect critical neighborhood services, especially in historically underserved communities like District 4. While there is much more work ahead in this budget process, I remain committed to delivering a final budget that prioritizes equity, opportunity, and quality of life for all residents.” 

“San Diegans have been loud and clear: libraries, parks, and recreation centers are beloved essential services, not luxuries,” said Councilmember Sean Elo-Rivera. “I’m proud to have put forward a solution that reforms how the city uses revenue from our world-class golf courses, ensuring those resources flow back to the parks and rec programming that residents across San Diego depend on. This restoration matters, and I’m glad the Mayor’s May Revise reflects it. There is more work ahead in this budget cycle and for the longer fight to build a San Diego that works for everyone who lives here.”  

"Despite painful cuts to personnel, the Mayor’s May Revision reflects what responsible budget negotiations look like. Restoring library hours and recreation center staffing in underserved communities matters to our members and to the communities they serve every day,” said Mike Zucchet, General Manager, Municipal Employees Association. “MEA will keep working with the Mayor's office to make sure the final budget protects the City workforce and the services San Diegans depend on." 

"Working families can't afford a city that isn't fiscally stable, and they can't afford a city that abandons its workers when things get hard,” said Brigette Browning, President, San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council. “The May Revision moves in the right direction—restoring positions, funding services, and keeping the City's commitments to the people who make it run. What we won't stand for is the effort by conservative special interests to blow a $150 million hole in the budget to score political points. That money funds libraries, rec centers, and the workers who keep this city running. Repealing the trash fee doesn't help working families—it guts the services they rely on." 

“The San Diego Parks Foundation appreciates the thoughtful consideration to lessen the budgetary impacts on those communities that have received less attention for decades,” said Michel Anderson, Immediate Past Board Chair, San Diego Parks Foundation. “These neighborhood and community parks and associated recreation centers, provide so much to so many and we are grateful to be supportive of this direction.” 

"We appreciate Mayor Gloria's thorough analysis and consideration to use the Golf Enterprise fund responsibly. We understand the need to meet the moment during the city's challenging budget times, while still considering the immense success of the enterprise fund model," said Kevin Fitzgerald, Director of Public Affairs with the Southern California Golf Association. "The City of San Diego's public golf portfolio continues to bring in great benefit to the city, its business community, tourism sector, and its golfers and we look forward to continuing our work with the City on their commitment to maintaining world-class golf courses for all to enjoy." 

“Library Foundation SD is pleased to see the Mayor’s revised FY 2027 budget has reduced some proposed cuts to the Library department—which San Diegans see as a core City service,” said Patrick Stewart, CEO, Library Foundation SD. “This is a move in the right direction as the proposed budget is no longer considering closing a branch before it is scheduled for a capital improvement project. The partial restoration of the Library Matching Funds is also critical as this is a key element in the ongoing public-private support of the San Diego Public Library system. I’m looking forward to collaborating with City Councilmembers during the rest of the FY2027 budget process to find additional funds to support the critical arts programs, youth services, and economic development initiatives provided by the Library department.” 

“Investing in early intervention, youth programs, and community outreach is essential for creating safer and healthier neighborhoods. Programs like No Shots Fired and drop-in centers demonstrate that prevention is effective,” said Bishop Cornelius Bowser, Founder and President, Shaphat Outreach. “They help reduce violence, strengthen community bonds, and lower long-term costs. We sincerely thank Mayor Gloria for his leadership and support in making these vital investments possible. When we invest in our youth and communities, everyone benefits.” 

“Funding critical programs like The San Diego LGBT Community Center’s Substance Use Disorder services is crucial to ensuring that the City of San Diego is meeting the needs of the community,” said Director of Behavioral Health Services at The Center Pamuela Halliwell. “These services fill a crucial gap in behavioral and mental health accessibility by offering care within an LGBTQ-affirming environment and options beyond traditional treatment and recovery programs. The Center is grateful to Mayor Todd Gloria and the City Council for understanding the need to prioritize these resources in the City budget, and for the City’s commitment to providing these life-saving services.”