Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
Available On Air Stations
Watch Live

KPBS Midday Edition

Georgette Gomez Defends City Budget

San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez stands in front of the 12th and Imperial trolley stop, Jan. 18, 2018.
Nicholas McVicker
San Diego City Councilwoman Georgette Gomez stands in front of the 12th and Imperial trolley stop, Jan. 18, 2018.
The City Council president says it could have been much worse and highlights the restoration of many cuts in services proposed by the mayor's office in April.

San Diego City Council President Georgette Gomez told Midday Edition on Monday that the city's budget for the upcoming fiscal year restores some community services and starts to address systemic racism.

Despite calls to reduce police funding, Gomez pointed out that the $27 million increase in funding for the San Diego Police Department was mandated by the current contract with the police union and will come in the form of increases in health care.

Related: San Diego City Council Passes Budget With No Cuts To Police Funding

Advertisement

She believes that all stakeholders — police, the many communities they serve and city government — must participate in all discussions of police reform.

Gomez cited restored cuts to library hours, parks and recreation, and tree-trimming and new projects to provide high-speed internet to low-income families and outreach to the city's unsheltered homeless as positive aspects of the budget.

She joined Midday Edition to discuss last week's budget vote and the future of policing in San Diego.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.