San Diego’s Key Budget Dates: What to Know About the Fiscal Year 2027 Budget
This year’s budget process will require especially thoughtful and disciplined decision-making. The Fiscal Year 2027 – 2031 Five-Year Financial Outlook, released in November 2025, forecasts the City’s General Fund is facing an estimated $120 million shortfall for the upcoming fiscal year. That gap is largely driven by the reduction in one-time revenue sources used to support the FY 2026 Adopted Budget, increasing costs to provide City services, and slowing revenue growth.
Balancing the budget is not optional. It is required by law. And we are approaching it with fiscal prudence and discipline — carefully reviewing every department’s spending, evaluating core services you expect, and making sure every dollar delivers value for San Diegans.
The key dates below outline how we monitor the current year’s budget and build next year’s plan. Along the way, there will be public meetings, committee discussions, and City Council votes where community input matters.
Fixing the roads and other infrastructure, keeping San Diegans safe, building more housing, and reducing homelessness remain the foundation of our work. This process is about making responsible choices that protect those fundamentals while putting the City on stable financial footing for the future.
We encourage you to follow the timeline below and participate as the Fiscal Year 2027 budget takes shape.
Find key budget dates below:
Monday, Feb. 23, 2026
| City Council reviews FY 2026 Mid-Year Budget Monitoring Report, including any budgetary actions recommended by the Mayor, and related report by the Office of the Independent Budget Analyst (IBA). |
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
| City Council reviews FY 2027-2031 Five-Year Capital Infrastructure Planning Outlook and related report by the Office of the IBA. |
Wednesday, April 15, 2026 | Release of Mayor’s FY 2027 Draft Budget online. Per City Charter, the Mayor must release the Draft Budget to the Council and the public no later than April 15. |
Monday, April 20, 2026
| Mayor presents FY 2027 Draft Budget at City Council. |
Monday, May 4 through Friday, May 8, 2026 | Budget Review Committee (BRC) budget presentation hearings, including: IBA’s Review of the FY 2027 Draft Budget, to be presented on May 4; presentations by City departments and agencies and corresponding Office of the IBA presentations. |
Monday, May 4, 2026
| 6 p.m. BRC hearing for public input on the FY 2027 Draft Budget. |
Wednesday, May 13, 2026 | Release of the following reports:
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Monday, May 18, 2026 10 a.m. 2 p.m. 6 p.m. | City Council reviews the FY 2027 May Revision and FY 2026 Third Quarter Budget Monitoring Report as informational items. |
Tuesday, June 2, 2026
| Release of IBA’s report on final recommended City Council modifications to the Mayor’s FY 2027 Draft Budget and review of the May Revision, as well as a report transmitting the Councilmembers’ final budget modification memoranda. |
Friday, June 5, 2026 9 a.m. | BRC discusses the recommended City Council budget modifications. |
Tuesday, June 9, 2026 10 a.m. 2 p.m. | City Council approval of the FY 2027 Budget with any final budget modifications. Per City Charter, budget adoption is required no later than June 15. City Council reviews the FY 2026 Third Quarter Budget Monitoring Report and FY 2026 CIP Year-End Budget Monitoring Report, including any budgetary actions recommended by the Mayor, and related reports by the Office of the IBA. |