San Diego, CA

San Diego slashing bureaucracy, laying off highest-paid city worker to help close $258 million deficit

Published

1 year ago

February 18, 2025

San Diego slashing bureaucracy, laying off highest-paid city worker to help close 8 million deficit

San Diego is shrinking some city bureaucracy and laying off the city’s highest-paid worker to help close a $258 million deficit, but Mayor Todd Gloria still hasn’t made emergency cuts to services that some have called for.

Gloria announced Tuesday that seven city departments are being merged into other departments, saving the city $5.3 million by eliminating some high-level department head and deputy director positions.

The departments that will no longer be independent include Race and Equity, Cultural Affairs, Child and Youth Success and Sustainability and Mobility, which focuses on climate change and bicycle lanes.

Gloria announced he is also eliminating the chief operating officer position and laying off the man who has held that job since fall 2022, Eric Dargan, the city’s highest-paid worker. His annual salary was $383,000 and his benefits cost another $70,000 a year.

But other than Dargan’s job, 29 of the other 30 positions eliminated by Gloria are vacant. That means eliminating them provides no savings in the ongoing fiscal year, with the savings only coming in the upcoming fiscal year when those positions had been projected to be filled.

Gloria appears to be delaying any proposals for service cuts, which many expect to include shorter hours at libraries and recreation centers, until he unveils his proposed budget for the new fiscal year in April.

That runs counter to lobbying from the City Council and city labor leaders, who have urged the mayor to make emergency cuts as soon as possible to potentially soften the deep cuts expected in the new fiscal year.

Gloria defended his approach Wednesday, contending his management team is thoroughly studying the city’s entire operation before proposing cuts.

“This is just the start,” Gloria said. “There’s a lot more work to be done.”

Gloria said when the mother lode of cuts finally gets proposed, he suspects the reaction will be “fairly emotional.”

The city’s largest labor union, the Municipal Employees Association, praised the mayor’s announcement.

“Mayor Gloria deserves credit for shaking things up to meet the moment of the city’s significant budget and operational challenges,” said Mike Zucchet, the union’s general manager. “We look forward to continuing to work with the mayor and his team to ensure city services are aligned with available resources and priorities.”

Gloria conceded that the $5.3 million in savings won’t make much of a dent in the $258 million deficit projected for the new fiscal year.

But he noted that a plan to begin charging single-family homes for trash pickup in July is projected to shrink that by $71 million.

And the city could get another $30 million from an expected court ruling on a ballot measure that would provide the city money for homeless services and roads.

In addition, the city recently doubled parking meter rates and plans to sharply increase a wide range of city fees starting as early as April. Those moves are projected to generate more than $40 million a year.

If all those moves come together as planned, that would leave a deficit of roughly $100 million.

Gloria said he’d like to shield from cuts four priorities: homeless services, infrastructure, public safety and housing initiatives.

Gloria defended 25% pay raises that most city employees received in 2023, which many critics blame for the large deficits San Diego is facing.

“I think that’s appropriate,” Gloria said of the raises, which kick in incrementally over three years. “We’re not hemorrhaging talent like we have previously. We are paying wages and providing benefits to attract high-quality talent to come here and serve the people of this city.”

The mayor also defended the decision to fold the Race and Equity Department, which the city created in 2020 after outcry following the murder of George Floyd, into the city’s Personnel Department.

“The incredible work accomplished by the Department of Race and Equity since its inception has laid a strong foundation that I’m extremely proud of,” the mayor said.

He said the other mergers don’t mean the city is giving up on the missions of those departments, just that the work is being reorganized.

“None of this is a signal of retreat from these issues or these priorities,” he said.

Child and Youth Success is merging into the Library Department, Cultural Affairs is merging into Economic Development and Sustainability and Mobility will be chopped up and merged into three other departments.

Additional mergers include the mayor’s office taking over Government Affairs, Boards and Commissions and the office of the chief operating officer. In addition to Dargan, a program manager in that department was laid off.

Gloria declined to praise or even evaluate Dargan’s performance. He said only that “Eric Dargan is a good man — I’ve enjoyed serving with him.”

Originally Published: February 18, 2025 at 4:43 PM PST

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San Diego, CA

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

Published

1 hour ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

The Best Things to Do in San Diego: May 2026 | San Diego Magazine

When we think of May, we think of Mother’s Day, blooming flowers, sunny skies, and lots of fun, seasonal events in the city. This month, locals can dine on the creations of James Beard Award-Winning Chefs at Rancho Bernardo Inn, or take advantage of berry season at the annual Vista Strawberry Festival. Theatre lovers can enjoy a showing of Kim’s Convenience at The Old Globe, while the San Diego Natural History Museum invites art enthusiasts to view its latest marine-themed exhibit. Grab your tickets and crack open that planner. Here are all the best things to do in San Diego this month:

Concerts & Festivals | Theater & Art Exhibits | More Fun Things to Do

Concerts & Festivals in San Diego This Month

29

Louisiana legend Juvenile, enhances by the live instrumentation of The 400 Degreez Band, will perform career hits and his newest album, Boiling Point, at House of Blues San Diego.

Photo Credit: Dahlia Katz

Theater & Art Exhibits in San Diego This Month

5/5–6/1

Turning the spotlight on contemporary LGBTQ artists, the inaugural ArtSpectrum 2026 will showcase both the grand and intimate scale of contemporary painters, photographers, and mixed media artists at Village Arts Outreach in Balboa Park.

12–24

The only ordinary element of the San Diego International Fringe Festival is the constant thrill of the extraordinary. Discover a plethora of innovative performances at venues from Pacific Beach to Baja.

5/15–6/14

A Korean-Canadian family balances tradition and assimilation from their Toronto storefront in Ins Choi’s comforting satire Kim’s Convenience, making its local premier at The Old Globe.

5/22–2/2027

Ocean debris will receive a new beginning at the San Diego Natural History Museum. Using repurposed pollution, Washed Ashore: Art to Save the Sea depicts creatively sculpted marine life.

More Fun Things to Do in San Diego This Month

4/30–5/3

Enjoy fine dining at its finest from a lineup of gastronomic titans during 54 Hours with James Beard Award-Winning Chefs. Savor elegant meals, masterclasses, tastings, and more at Rancho Bernardo Inn.

2

Unlimited bites, regional craft beers, and animal observations are on the menu for San Diego Zoo Food, Wine & Brew (with live music), a culinary evening in support of the San Diego Wildlife Alliance.

7

Spend An Evening with David Sedaris, humorist, essayist, and best-selling author. Never afraid to point the pen at himself, Sedaris will share old favorites and works in progress in the classic satirical style he’s known for at Jacobs Music Center.

15–17

Say cheese! And toast to the Cheese & Libation Expo. Explore three days of all-you-can eat and drink fare at BRICK, along with boutique shopping and bountiful pairings.

PARTNER CONTENT

10 Years In, Puffer and Malarkey Are Just Getting Started

Elevating an Icon: Inside the La Jolla Beach & Tennis Clu…

16

Stroll the private grounds of several luxurious homes, accompanied by live music, tabletop designs, and outdoor artistry, during the Secret Garden Tour, La Jolla Historical Society‘s flora and fauna fundraiser.

24

Vista recalls its days as a strawberry-producing superpower through its free Strawberry Festival. Wear your berry best fit, watch film screenings, and enter contests for shortcake, pie, and sundae indulging.

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San Diego, CA

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Published

13 hours ago

April 20, 2026

Press Room

City considering cutting funding to resource center for those experiencing homelessness

Last week Mayor Todd Gloria released the budget proposal for the 2027 fiscal budget. Protected homeless services is among his top priorities mentioned in the proposal. However, some of the reductions he’s proposing could impact thousands of San Diegans experiencing homelessness.

Located on 17^th and K Street, the Neil Good Day Center offers an array of services to nearly seven thousand people experiencing homelessness. The services include giving them a place to shower and do laundry, and connecting them to a case manager, among others.

“These are critical services that are helping people off the streets, but really better their lives and their health and their employment situation as well,” Deacon Vargas with Father Joe’s Villages said.

Deacon Jim Vargas heads Father Joe’s Villages, which runs the center. He said through their prevention and diversion strategies, they’ve managed to keep nearly one thousand individuals from falling into homelessness.

“So by helping them pay rent, or helping them with their utilities, or helping them to reunite with family,” Vargas said.

Right now, the city allocates at least $850,000 per year to the Neil Good Day Center, according to Vargas.

But the future and funding for these services are in limbo because of Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget cuts.

“The impact to those whom we’ve been serving the Daily Center would be very severe,” Deacon Vargas said.

In a statement to NBC 7, Mayor Todd Gloria said in part, “We must find more efficient and cost-effective ways to address this crisis and prioritize funding for programs that provide shelter beds and maximize resources to programs that place people into permanent housing.”

Since it’s still at a proposal stage, Deacon Vargas said it’s unclear how the city will decide to move forward.

However, Deacon Vargas said services would be significantly reduced because they would be forced to operate solely on a budget of about half a million dollars they receive from philanthropy.

“The hours would be cut. Some days would be cut. We would have showers that might be impacted because they’re given seven days a week and we’d close two days a week, then the showers would be five days a week, the case management,” Deacon Vargas said.

Deacon Vargas is certain of one thing.

He would like to continue offering services at the Day Center, even if the city goes through with the funding cuts.

“As we work with individuals at the Day Center and at Father Joe’s Villages, the community becomes healthier as a result of it,” Deacon Vargas said.

The budget also recommends additional cuts to homeless services, but does not give specifics as to where those cuts would be.

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