San Diego City Councilmembers Marni Von Wilpert and Raul Campillo said Wednesday that this week’s shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego tragically underscores the need to give religious institutions and other nonprofits the money they need to deal with hate violence.
“It is an incredible financial burden to install security cameras, ironclad gates, hire security guards. This is not what our schools and our religious institutions should have to fundraise for,” Von Wilpert said at a news conference at San Diego City Hall.
Her colleague Raul Campillo said, “That’s money they should be spending on classes for their parishioners or public service programming out in their communities.”
Since January, Von Wilpert and Campillo have been urging Gov. Gavin Newsom to revive funding for the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program (CSNSGP). Both said Monday’s tragedy made that funding all the more urgent.
“In 2024, the program was closed and the funding had expired. So we called on Gov. Newsom to reopen it, and last week Gov. Newsom responded. He did include the $40 million in his May revise in his budget proposal,” said Von Wilpert.
Previously, the CSNSGP was funded well above the current $40 million ask, and there is evidence of that around San Diego. One example is at the offices of the Episcopal Diocese of San Diego in Ocean Beach.
“We did get new fencing, new gates, we got new locks on doors, we got key card systems, we got a whole number of cameras, video surveillance cameras, and better lighting throughout the facility,” said Jeff Green, the Director of Operations and Safety Officer at the diocese.
“I think this is great. It gives many, many more churches the opportunity to buy the equipment and services they need to protect themselves,” Green said.
Chris Tumilty is the director of communications for the diocese. He said the organization encourages all its churches to apply for the grants. He said the money churches have gotten has been put to good use.
“The funds that are given to us are used to strengthen the security around our churches and to keep people safe,” Tumilty said. “Unfortunately, it's a much-needed resource for us.”
Von Wilpert and Campillo are urging people to contact their state legislators and demand they include the $40 million in the final budget. Von Wilpert said, “It’s not a line item — it’s a lifeline.”
