When Washington walks away, San Diego steps up.

Congress passed H.R. 1, the so-called “One Big Beautiful Bill,” a law that slashes funding for food assistance, adds expensive new red tape to Medicaid, and leaves our County facing over $300 million in new yearly costs.

I’m working to help San Diego County weather this crisis by stretching every dollar and protecting taxpayers and the services our society depends on.

That’s why this Tuesday I’m proposing the Partnership to Protect San Diegans, a first-of-its-kind collaboration between the County and the San Diego Foundation to shield local families from federal cuts and keep essential services running without raising taxes.

This is a local solution to protect services from federal cuts and keep San Diego strong while we fight for lasting reform.

My Proposal: A First-of-Its-Kind Local Lifeline

Most of our safety net isn’t run directly by County employees; it’s powered by hundreds of local nonprofits that run outreach, shelters, clinics, and senior programs.

When Washington pulls funding, those lifelines start to fray. Teams shrink, shelters cut beds, and clinics lose funding.

If my proposal is approved, this partnership will co-fund some of these contracts with the San Diego Foundation, keeping programs running at half the County’s usual cost and freeing up savings for emergency aid:

• $36 million preserved to keep core nonprofit programs running
• $4 million in new community aid for food banks and clinics through the Unity Fund matched dollar-for-dollar with philanthropy (for $8 million in total relief)
• $13 million saved to respond to future federal fallout without touching the County’s General Fund budget

That means more outreach, more stability, and no interruption of essential services.

Rapid Relief Through the Unity Fund

The San Diego Unity Fund, a rapid response relief effort from the Prebys Foundation, Price Philanthropies, and the San Diego Foundation, is already delivering results. Together, these funders have pledged $70 million to keep San Diegans housed, fed, and healthy.

Through this partnership, the County would add $4 million in immediate aid, matched dollar-for-dollar by the San Diego Foundation, to keep shelters open, outreach teams in the field, and clinics operating.

Last week, as Trump sued to block families’ November EBT deposits, the Unity Fund moved fast, granting $3 million to San Diego’s food banks to help feed those caught in Washington’s chaos.

This is local action at its best, San Diego using the power of local government to turn community generosity into real relief.

San Diego Taxpayers Shouldn’t Have to Pay for D.C.’s Cuts

Trump’s signature legislation, H.R. 1, did the opposite, cutting food and healthcare programs that our taxes already pay for to fund new tax breaks for billionaires and corporations. Those cuts blew a $300 million hole in our County budget, draining resources that should be used to keep people housed, protect public health, and fund fire protection and public safety.

Californians already send more to Washington than we get back, so when D.C. walks away, we step up and protect our own.

Over time, we’ll need to go further, rolling back giveaways to the ultra-rich and making sure the wealthiest pay their share, so San Diego can fund fire protection, public safety, and healthcare without asking working families to carry the load again.

But right now, this partnership could be how we bridge the gap: a creative, no-cost way to stretch every dollar and deliver relief faster. 

San Diego’s Stepping Up

Washington’s cuts are pushing families to the brink, but San Diego is fighting back. This partnership keeps essential services running and doubles every public dollar.

Will You Share Your Voice? Next week, the County Board of Supervisors will vote on my Partnership to Protect San Diegans proposal. If you support this local solution, submit an e-comment by clicking HERE.

I want to thank the San Diego Foundation and its partners for their extraordinary leadership in standing up the Unity Fund and uniting our region in this moment of need.

Learn more about the Unity Fund and how to support it at SDFoundation.org/Unity.