Focus Spending on Crucial Needs, Starting with Public Safety
- Media
- May 29
- 2 min read
If you’ve ever wondered where your tax dollars are going—brace yourself. Right now, in San Diego County, we’re holding back critical projects and services that residents depend on, yet we’re spending $7 million a year so inmates in our jails can make unlimited free phone calls.
And that’s just one example of how broken our priorities have become.
This year’s budget debate is the most critical we’ve faced in years. We started with a projected $138 million deficit—real money that impacts public safety, road maintenance, fire services, and more. And yet, instead of tightening our belts, the county has been growing the size of government at an unsustainable rate. Over 2,500 new positions have been added in just the last few years, and new bureaucratic offices have been created with little accountability and no clear connection to the essential services San Diegans need.
We’re spending millions on offices like the “Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice” and the “Office of Equity and Racial Justice,” while the basics—like law enforcement and veteran services—are being overlooked. These programs may sound well-intentioned, but they too often become political vehicles that waste taxpayer dollars without delivering real results.
Even worse, the draft budget proposes spending $5 million to provide legal defense for unauthorized immigrants facing deportation—regardless of their criminal history. That’s not just irresponsible, it’s an insult to San Diego taxpayers. At a time when we’re told there’s no money for public safety, for veterans, or for fixing our roads, we’re being asked to pay for the legal defense of individuals who broke the law to be here.
Meanwhile, some of my colleagues continue using the same tired scare tactics—warning of federal budget cuts that haven’t even happened yet, or blaming “Donald Trump” to justify reckless spending. That’s a distraction from the real issue: Government already has enough of your money. What’s lacking is the will to spend it wisely.
I believe in fiscal responsibility, supporting law enforcement, standing by our veterans, and putting San Diegans first—not political agendas.
Here’s the bottom line:
Veterans services are being overlooked.
Law enforcement is being shortchanged.
Unincorporated communities—home to more than 500,000 residents—are being left behind.
And government is growing while families are forced to make hard choices just to get by.
It’s time to rein it in. We can’t keep asking you—the taxpayer—to do more while government refuses to do less. Every dollar should be justified. Every program should be measured by how it makes San Diego safer, stronger, and more affordable for working families.
I’d love to hear your thoughts. Together, we can restore common sense to government and make sure we’re putting San Diegans first—always.
San Diego County District 5 Supervisor Jim Desmond | May 20, 2025
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