Public Safety

San Diego Council Members: Shifting Police Funds Will Take Time, Planning

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Pat Finn / Producer

Published May 11, 2021 at 11:56 AM PDT

This story was published more than 3 years ago.

The San Diego Police Department headquarters is shown in this updated photo.

While activists are calling for immediate reform, some San Diego City Council members say a thorough analysis of how, where and when to shift portions of the police department budget is needed first.

Some police-reform activists are calling for big cuts in the San Diego Police Department budget and transfer of the monies to social service agencies as soon as possible.

While some reforms, such as banning chokeholds, have been instituted already, several council members caution that re-imagining the police department thoughtfully will take time and planning.

Some supporters of police reform believe that smaller, incremental changes may still be possible this year, included in the deliberations over the budget for the coming fiscal year.

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Mayor Todd Gloria's 2021-22 budget proposed a $24 million increase in the police budget. Much of that will go to pension costs and almost none toward reforms.

David Garrick, City Hall reporter for The San Diego Union-Tribune, talked with KPBS Midday Edition about council members' positions on a comprehensive analysis of police reform.

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Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Pat Finn

Pat Finn previously served as a producer for KPBS Midday Edition and KPBS Evening Edition. Finn began her career in broadcasting at KTLA and KCET in Los Angeles. In 1979 she became KPBS’ Public Information Director, then Director of Advertising and Promotion, Program Director, and Director of Broadcasting. She oversaw the station’s local and national productions, including the one-hour documentary Los Romeros: The Royal Family of the Guitar, and Child Protective Services, a one-hour look inside the San Diego County agency responsible for the welfare of at risk children. Both programs also aired on public television stations nationwide. Finn has earned honors from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Pacific Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences.

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