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Board deadlocks on plan to notify federally funded program recipients of possible cuts
Summary
The San Diego County Board of Supervisors voted to table a motion to direct the CAO to develop a 30‑day notification plan for residents who receive federal benefits after the item resulted in a tie. Supporters said recipients deserve advance notice; opponents and some supervisors said the timing and potential cost are uncertain.
Vice Chair Tara Lawson Reimer proposed a motion directing the county chief administrative officer to develop a “notification of funding at risk” to be shared with beneficiaries of federally funded programs and to report back in 30 days with a plan for how to implement notice if federal cuts materialize. “1,200,000 San Diegans receive support from at least one federally funded program,” Lawson Reimer told the board, listing the scope of services potentially affected: “900,000 are enrolled in Medi‑Cal. 400,000 rely on food assistance, and 50,000 depend on federally funded job training and financial assistance. 10,000 households rely on federal housing vouchers.”
Supporters and public commenters said the county has an obligation to notify people whose benefits could be cut. Aaron Sirimoto Grassi, associate director at Alliance San Diego, told the board the proposed House reconciliation package “will slash funding for critical safety‑net programs” and that “individuals have a right to know that their benefits are at risk.” Several callers and in‑person speakers urged timely, clear notices and suggested multiple delivery channels including email and direct mail.
At the dais, Supervisor Monica Montgomery Stepp offered amendments to delay deployment of any wide‑scale notice until staff could identify likely specific cuts and include resource lists and an “off‑ramp” for people who lose services; Lawson Reimer agreed to take the amendments. Supervisor Jim Desmond urged caution, citing uncertainty in Washington and a fiscal impact estimate that he said could be “north of a million dollars” depending on the outreach methods. County staff told the board that email contact information exists for many program clients and that mailings would involve additional postage and materials costs.
After debate, the motion failed due to a tie vote and did not advance. The clerk made a public announcement that per board rules the item will be placed on the next regular meeting agenda if the board takes no action to continue it to a specific date.
Why this matters: Supporters argued that advance notice would protect the region’s most vulnerable households if federal funding is reduced; critics said the county lacked clarity about the timing, cost and whether it was the proper local role while federal and state policies were unsettled. The item will return to the board for further consideration.
