San Diego, CA
San Diego slashing bureaucracy, laying off highest-paid city worker to help close $258 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:
UNLV Rebels (16-14, 11-8 MWC) at San Diego State Aztecs (19-10, 13-6 MWC)
San Diego; Friday, 10 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: UNLV faces San Diego State after Kimani Hamilton scored 24 points in UNLV’s 92-65 victory over the Utah State Aggies.
The Aztecs have gone 13-2 in home games. San Diego State is eighth in the MWC with 9.0 offensive rebounds per game led by Miles Heide averaging 2.0.
The Rebels have gone 11-8 against MWC opponents. UNLV ranks eighth in the MWC shooting 34.4% from 3-point range.
San Diego State averages 79.1 points per game, 0.6 more points than the 78.5 UNLV gives up. UNLV averages 7.2 made 3-pointers per game this season, 1.9 fewer made shots on average than the 9.1 per game San Diego State allows.
The teams play for the second time in conference play this season. San Diego State won the last meeting 82-71 on Jan. 24. Miles Byrd scored 23 points points to help lead the Aztecs to the win.
TOP PERFORMERS: Reese Dixon-Waters is shooting 35.9% from beyond the arc with 1.6 made 3-pointers per game for the Aztecs, while averaging 13 points. Byrd is averaging 10.2 points and 5.1 rebounds over the past 10 games.
Dra Gibbs-Lawhorn is shooting 50.9% and averaging 20.6 points for the Rebels. Hamilton is averaging 1.4 made 3-pointers over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Aztecs: 5-5, averaging 74.9 points, 28.9 rebounds, 13.7 assists, 6.9 steals and 4.2 blocks per game while shooting 46.4% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 69.0 points per game.
Rebels: 6-4, averaging 84.1 points, 32.3 rebounds, 14.7 assists, 6.4 steals and 4.8 blocks per game while shooting 50.0% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 80.8 points.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
SAN DIEGO (CNS) – Military bases in San Diego County and nationwide have increased security measures due to last weekend’s U.S.-Israeli attacks on Iran, prompting traffic delays near base entrances, enhanced ID checks and access restrictions.
The Naval Air Station North Island on Coronado ports three aircraft carriers, including the San Diego-based USS Abraham Lincoln, which led some of the first-wave attacks on Saturday.
Naval Base Coronado warned motorists of possible traffic delays at all base entry points due to the increased security measures.
Targets included Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps command and control facilities, Iranian air defense capabilities, missile and drone launch sites and military airfields.
The U.S. operation, dubbed “Epic Fury,” and Israeli operation, “Raging Lion,” began striking targets at 1:15 a.m. Eastern Time Saturday.
As of Tuesday, at least six U.S. service members had been killed in action.
The strikes also killed Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Hosseini Khamenei, who had been Iran’s supreme leader since 1989, making him the longest-serving head of state in the Middle East.
Iran’s offensive forces claimed to have struck USS Abraham Lincoln with ballistic missiles, but according to an X post from U.S central Command, “The Lincoln was not hit. The missiles launched didn’t even come close. The Lincoln continues to launch aircraft in support of CENTCOM’s relentless campaign to defend the American people by eliminating threats from the Iranian regime.”
Those with concerns regarding the heightened security can contact San Diego County’s Office of Emergency Services at 858-565-3490 or oes@sdcounty.ca.gov.
Copyright 2026, City News Service, Inc.
SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Less than 3 weeks after the San Diego Unified School District finalized a new contract with teachers, the school board voted unanimously on Tuesday to move forward with layoff notices for other district employees.
The layoffs affect classified employees — workers who are employed by the district but are not teachers and are not certified. That includes bus drivers, custodians, special education and teacher aides, and cafeteria workers.
The district says it is eliminating 221 positions — 133 that are currently filled and 88 that are vacant — to save $19 million and help address a projected $47 million deficit for the next fiscal year.
Preliminary layoff notices will go out on March 15, with final notices by May 15.
The district estimates about 200 classified employees will receive preliminary notices, but of them, about 70 are expected to lose their jobs based on union-negotiated bumping rules.
Bumping allows employees with more seniority to move into another position in the same classification, thereby “bumping” a less senior employee out of that role.
Lupe Murray, an early childhood special education parafacilitator with the district, said the news came as a shock after the teacher strike was called off.
“When the strike was called off, I’m like, ‘Yes!’ So then when I got the email from the Superintendent, I’m like, ‘Wait, what?’ So, I think everyone was shocked,” Murray said.
The district says it sends out annual layoff notices, as all districts in the state do.
Before Tuesday’s board meeting, classified employees rallied outside, made up of CSEA (California School Employees Association) Chapters OTBS 788, Paraeducators 759, and OSS 724. They were joined by parents, students, and the San Diego & Imperial Counties Labor Council, AFL-CIO.
Miguel Arellano, a paraeducator independence facilitator with San Diego Unified and a representative of San Diego Paraeducators Cahpter 759.
“What do we want? No layoffs! When do we want it? Now!” the crowd chanted.
Arellano said he felt compelled to act when he learned about the potential layoffs.
“The first thing that went through my mind was that I need to speak up. I need to protect these people,” Arellano said.
Inside the meeting, the board heard emotional, at times tearful testimony from classified employees before voting unanimously to move forward with the layoff schedule.
Superintendent Fabi Bagula said the district has tried to protect classrooms from the cuts.
“We have tried our best to only, I mean, to not touch the school. Or the classroom. But now it’s at the point where it’s getting a little bit harder,” Bagula said. “What I’m still hoping, or what I’m still working toward, because we’re still in negotiations, is that we’re able to actually come to a win-win, where there’s positions and availability and maybe even promotions for folks that are impacted.”
Arellano warned the layoffs could have a direct impact on students.
“We are already spread thin, so, with more of a case load, it’s going to be impossible to be able to service all the students that we need to have,” Arellano said.
Follow ABC 10News Anchor Max Goldwasser on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter.
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.
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