San Diego County board hears $9.15 billion recommended budget emphasizing behavioral health, homelessness and public safety

County officials presented a $9.15 billion recommended operational plan on June 1 as part of the San Diego County Board of Supervisors’ public budget hearings.

Chief Executive Officer Ebony Shelton said the proposal is “more than a financial document” and reflects board priorities, staff work and community input. Assistant CEO and Chief Financial Officer Joan Brocky told the board the plan is balanced and shaped by federal and state funding constraints.

The recommended plan includes a roughly 6% growth over the prior year and funds county programs and services, with key investments in behavioral health, public safety, homelessness prevention and infrastructure. Shelton said the plan “proposes $9.15 billion in county programs and services and funds 20,388 staff dedicated to serving the people and communities of this region every day.”

Behavioral health is a major focus: Nadia Bria Brahms, the county’s behavioral health services director, presented an initial $1.4 billion allocation and described the coming transition to a standalone department meant to expand crisis stabilization, outpatient services and housing supports. Bria Brahms said BHS provides specialty mental health and substance use care to more than 113,000 county residents annually and that the proposed budget includes funding for new crisis units, mobile response teams and housing-related interventions.

The Public Safety group’s recommended spending—about $3 billion—supports nine departments and roughly 8,100 positions, funding firefighting, emergency medical services, courts-related services and investments in detention facility maintenance. Andrew Strong, the public safety group general manager, said the budget includes funds to modernize several detention facilities and invest in wildfire response capabilities.

Other agency highlights included a $2.2 billion recommended program for Health and Human Services (HHSA) that focuses on CalFresh and medical enrollment work, food security and homelessness prevention; a Land Use & Environment proposal prioritizing stormwater and Tijuana River Valley work; and finance/enterprise support investments for capital projects and electric vehicle infrastructure.

The chief administrative office and staff emphasized that the plan is balanced and that the revised recommended plan will be released June 12. Final adoption and budget deliberations are scheduled for June 25; the board asked the public to submit written comments by June 11.

The recommendations drew public hearings and dozens of requests for additional or protected funding across safety-net programs, and supervisors said they will consider community input before making final decisions.