San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer released his proposed $3.2 billion budget last week, which included funding to expand operating hours at the city's 16 busiest recreation centers from 45 to 60 hours a week, boost police and fire personnel, upgrade playgrounds, install better lighting, and improve preschool and teen programs.
The City Council will scrutinize the budget proposal during public hearings the first week of May. Then Faulconer will present a revised budget proposal for the City Council to vote on in June. The fiscal 2016 budget takes effect July 1.
As city officials wade through the 1,752-page budget proposal, San Diegans have been making their own much simpler spending plans using the KPBS Budget Game.
Of the 161 budgets created, here are the most popular options:
- 76 budgets included $5 million for fixing sidewalks.
- 70 budgets included $500,000 for improving services at homeless shelters.
- 69 budgets cut the annual $10.2 million subsidy for Qualcomm Stadium.
- 68 budgets included $3.5 million for restoring after-school programs.
- 65 budgets cut free trash pickup for single family homes, which would add $31 million to the general fund.
Samantha Ollinger, director of bike advocacy group BikeSD, said she included funding for more bike lanes because adding more lanes would improve bicycle safety and help with the city's infrastructure deficit.
"The wear and tear of a vehicle on the road versus a bicycle rider on the road, the difference is 20 times according to one study," she said. "A bicycle rider at about 200 pounds is 20 times less heavy than a 4,000-pound passenger car. So if you want to think about how we can start addressing the wear and tear of our roads, encouraging safe facilities is a way to do that."
She also spent $400,000 on traffic signal optimization technology because "making sure people aren't just unnecessarily wasting their time siting in traffic is a really great way to make sure that traffic is moving through." She said that would also support cyclists.
To pay for her budget additions, Ollinger said she would shut down city-owned golf courses and increase parking tickets by $10.
Ben Katz, a small-business owner and political director of open government advocacy group Open San Diego, said he found it easy to balance the budget using the KPBS game.
"Well, after I made one little change," he said. "I added in selling off the Qualcomm Stadium land, estimated worth $600 million. Once I did that I was able to cover every expense suggested, the tax cuts, infrastructure fixes, after-school and library programs, increased funding for police and fire, and I still had $550 million left over."
Selling off the stadium wasn't an option in the game — and is about as likely to happen as ending free trash pickup.
