Hundreds of residents urge San Diego supervisors to fund immigrant legal defense, eviction diversion and youth services
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Summary
During Jan. 27 public comment at the County Board of Supervisors, dozens of speakers representing the Community Budget Alliance, Legal Aid, LGBTQ groups and residents urged the board to prioritize immigrant legal defense ($7M ask), eviction diversion ($3M ask), housing contracts for vulnerable populations and a feasibility study for a Department of Youth Development.
Dozens of San Diegans urged the Board of Supervisors on Jan. 27 to reshape next year's budget around a set of people-focused priorities, including a universal immigrant legal defense program, expanded eviction diversion and targeted housing services.
Speakers from the Community Budget Alliance and multiple nonprofits asked the board to allocate $7,000,000 to an immigrant legal defense program (ILDP) to ensure legal representation for detained residents, $3,000,000 for an eviction diversion program to mediate tenant-landlord disputes, and a one-time $250,000 feasibility study to explore creation of a Department of Youth Development. Advocates also pressed for continued funding of LGBTQ-affirming housing services and capital support for a proposed Global Village refugee and immigrant cultural hub.
"Our budget is a moral document," said Noah Yee Yick, a Community Budget Alliance convener and researcher, urging the board to "lead with courage" and invest in prevention and legal support rather than later emergency responses. Multiple speakers cited federal cuts and increased immigration enforcement as reasons the county must backfill services previously supported by state or federal programs.
Joanne Franciscus, CEO of the Legal Aid Society of San Diego, told supervisors that free legal services yield high returns and protect vulnerable residents from homelessness: "Without county intervention, federal funding cuts will disproportionately fall on those who are most vulnerable." Several public speakers and organizational representatives repeated the $7 million ILDP ask and asked that the program be universal and merits-blind.
Other requests included restoring tenant legal services and funding a $500,000 allocation specifically to provide housing legal services for undocumented individuals, and investing in emergency funds for workers and small businesses affected by immigration enforcement actions. Speakers highlighted prevention-focused spending as both humane and cost-effective, arguing it would reduce emergency-room visits, incarceration and other downstream costs.
Board members acknowledged the volume of input and several said they heard the specific dollar figures; the board indicated staff will consider these asks during the upcoming budget development process and reiterated the CAO recommended plan will be released May 1 with public hearings in June.
What was not decided: The board heard the requests but took no formal votes; staff and supervisors said they will evaluate priorities and constraints as part of budget development.
