San Diego, CA
San Diego has put off $1 billion in routine building maintenance, audit says
San Diego’s nearly $5 billion infrastructure funding deficit would be about $1 billion larger if the city included hundreds of maintenance projects that officials postpone and ignore, a city audit says.
Postponing those projects, which include roof patches and minor repairs to air conditioning systems, will increase long-term costs by forcing the city to replace entire buildings sooner than necessary, according to the 57-page audit.
“Although deferring maintenance can save money in the short term, deferring maintenance results in higher future costs and can impact city services, worker morale and the overall reputation of the city,” the audit says.
It can also deprive city leaders of an accurate picture of how far behind they are on infrastructure projects. The audit says deferred maintenance should be included in future evaluations of the city’s infrastructure deficit.
If it is included, it will likely account for the second largest deficit behind only stormwater. In last winter’s evaluation, the stormwater deficit was $1.6 billion, the streets deficit was $989 million and the parks deficit was $801 million.
The audit says the roughly $25 million San Diego spends annually on facility maintenance is only somewhere between 8% and 18% of what the city should be spending.
That’s based on recommendations from the National Research Council that cities should spend between 2% and 4% of the replacement value of their assets on routine facilities maintenance each year.
San Diego’s 1,600 buildings and facilities have an estimated net worth — or replacement value — of $7.2 billion, which would require annual spending between $143 million and $287 million on routine maintenance.
The audit also says the city is spending those limited resources the wrong way.
It says best practices dictate government agencies should spend 30% of facilities maintenance money on repairs and 70% on preventative maintenance projects.
By contrast, San Diego spends 87% of its facilities maintenance money on repairs and only 13% on preventative maintenance.
“We found that continually underfunding facility maintenance has also resulted in the Facilities Services Division needing to take a reactive approach to maintenance, meaning the city is fixing facility components as they break and delaying repairs until it has the needed staff time and funding,” the audit says. “This pattern has created a substantial deferred maintenance backlog and limits Facilities Services’ ability to conduct preventative maintenance.”
To help solve this problem, the audit said the city should develop a facility management plan to track and report maintenance needs and decide how to address them and how much money is needed for each project.
The audit also recommends the city use that plan to create a long-term funding strategy to address both annual maintenance needs and deferred maintenance.
A third recommendation is that the city set a goal for the percentage of total facility replacement value the city intends to spend annually on facility maintenance. The city is now spending 0.4% of its $7.2 billion facility replacement value — far below the recommended 2% to 4%.
In the city’s defense, the audit says San Diego is far from alone in deferring maintenance, because it’s a way for cities to make ends meet — spend money on immediate priorities and postpone less immediate ones.
“The National Research Council says underfunding of maintenance and repair is such a prevalent practice in the public sector that it has become a de facto policy that compounds the problem each year as the backlog of maintenance needs grows,” the audit says.
City officials agreed to all of the audit’s recommendations but stressed that complying with them would require more money.
“Significant investment in the Facilities Services Division is required to correct the underfunding issues and be able to take actions required for ongoing maintenance to protect the city’s investments in its facilities,” two officials — Comptroller Rolando Charvel and General Service Director Musheerah Little — wrote in a letter to City Auditor Andy Hanau.
Gloria relents on December Nights, some community cuts in budget revise, but arts funds still on chopping block
by City News Service | Times of San Diego
Some library and recreation center hours and December Nights support were restored in Mayor Todd Gloria’s revised Fiscal Year 2027 Budget Wednesday, but city funding for the arts could still be gutted.
Gloria was joined by civic leaders Wednesday morning to announce changes to his initial proposed budget, released last month. He added “targeted protections” of certain neighborhood priorities and maintained police and fire service levels while arriving at a balanced budget.
Proposed additions include protecting rec center and library hours in Council Districts 4, 8 and 9, represented by Henry L. Foster III, Vivian Moreno and Sean Elo-Rivera, respectively.
Read more
The Learning Curve: He’s San Diego Unified’s Next Trustee – No Race Needed
By Jakob McWhinney | Voice of San Diego
The primary is still nearly a month away. The general election is even further out. Still, it’s already clear that Hayden Gore will be San Diego Unified’s next trustee. That’s because he’s running unopposed to fill the seat left open by current Trustee Cody Petterson, who opted not to run for re-election.
Though he’s a political newcomer, Gore was the early choice of San Diego Unified’s union. In fact, he was recruited by the former president of the San Diego Education Association to run for the seat.
It’s not hard to see why. He’s an avowed progressive and a longtime educator who led the then-newly formed union at High Tech High to its first contract. Exactly the kind of resume that would have SDEA champing at the bit.
Read More
Join Us Friday, July 17, 2026 for the 11th Annual USD School of Law – RJS LAW Tax Institute
By RJS Law
The Institute is the premier annual tax event in San Diego. The region’s top tax attorneys, enrolled agents (EAs), certified public accountants (CPAs), law and business school professors will discuss topics including government loan relief and abuses, challenges in cross-border transactions, and practical and realistic solutions in trust, estate planning, and tax matters.
DATE AND TIME
Friday, July 17, 2026 from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
LOCATION
Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace and Justice, Theatre
5555 Marian Way, San Diego, CA 92110
EVENT STATUS
Open to the Public
Read More
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – For many families, libraries are a safe space for kids after school and a place to study.
After community outcry, the city is scaling down some of its proposed budget cuts, bringing the original $6.3 million in cuts to libraries down to $4.8 million.
Patrick Stewart, CEO of Library Foundation SD, said the change is a step in the right direction.
“We are very pleased. I think this moves the needle in the right direction.”
Mayor Gloria’s revised budget proposal restores funding focused on youth-centered programs, which includes bringing back library hours in Council Districts 4, 8, and 9 — those in underserved communities.
“This is City Heights and San Isidro, Barrio Logan, and Oak Park, and traditionally, those are smaller branches. And the kids and the families in those communities frankly, they use their library very differently than in a lot of other communities, and it’s a lifeline to them,” said Stewart.
The City Heights library is among those included in the mayor’s revised budget to restore funding. While library officials say this is a good first step, there is still concern about long-term financial challenges.
In order to voice concerns about how deep the cuts go, the Library Foundation has created a way for supporters to express that through postcards. Thousands of cards have been mailed directly to Mayor Gloria and councilmembers.
Stewart said the effort is making an impact.
“They’re seeing that this is hundreds and hundreds of people that are taking this very seriously, so it helps them to know immediately what their community feels like when it comes to these proposed cuts,” he added.
The restored funding would also keep Monday hours at Carmel Valley Library and protect the North Clairemont Library branch from closure.
Library officials remain optimistic as the revised budget heads back to the City Council.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
A man suspected of a fatal shooting in Barrio Logan was arrested Tuesday.
Benito Garcia Jr., 31, was arrested in the 3600 block of Grand Avenue in San Marcos at about 1 p.m. Tuesday for allegedly gunning down 64-year-old Raul Torres near the east end of the Coronado Bridge, according to the San Diego Police Department.
Patrol officers responding to an anonymous report of a shooting found the mortally wounded victim on a sidewalk in the 2000 block of National Avenue, near Chicano Park, shortly after 10 p.m. last Tuesday. Torres died at the scene, SDPD Lt. Lou Maggi said.
Police have not disclosed a suspected motive for the slaying.
Garcia was booked into San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of first- degree murder. He was being held without bail pending arraignment, scheduled for Thursday afternoon.
-
Politics5 minutes agoTrump Was Flattering, Xi Was Resolute. The Difference Spoke Volumes.
-
Business11 minutes agoIn Qatar, Energy Sector Damage Is Severe, and the Way Back Will Be Long
-
Science17 minutes agoLithuania’s Peat Bogs Could Help the Climate and Defend the Border, Too
-
Health23 minutes agoWill Her Daughter Be Safe at Pali High as It Rebuilds From LA Wildfires?
-
Culture35 minutes agoJudith Barnard, of Best-Selling ‘Judith Michael’ Fame, Dies at 94
-
Lifestyle41 minutes agoThe Family Branding of Sean Duffy’s Road Trip Reality Show
-
Education47 minutes agoUniversity of Chicago Makes Tuition Free for Families Making Under $250,000
-
Technology53 minutes agoUse this map to find the data centers in your backyard