San Diego County supervisors approve $7.2B budget for 2021-2022 fiscal year

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved a $7.2 billion fiscal year 2021-22 spending plan for San Diego County.

Including additional requests by supervisors or department leaders since it was first unveiled in May, the budget includes roughly $2.7 billion for health and human services, $2.2 billion for public safety, $1.5 billion for general government and $600 million for environmental programs.

Along with the traditional county services, the county budgeted money for programs aimed at reducing homelessness, increasing economic opportunity, environmental protection, governmental transparency and reforming the justice system.

"Congratulations everyone on a job well done on passing the budget," board Chairman Nathan Fletcher said before adjourning the meeting.

Fletcher said in a statement that the budget "reflects the new direction we are taking in the county government."

"Earlier this year, we introduced foundational policies crafted to change our county's trajectory and build a framework for our future," he added. "This budget supports our vision of a more equitable and inclusive county focused on community-centered policy."

A major focus of this budget is addressing the homelessness crisis throughout the county, including hundreds of millions of additional dollars for behavioral health services.

'We are really doing things differently," Fletcher told News 8. "You have got to go and engage that chronic population that has severe mental health and severe substance abuse issues. This requires a different level of engagement and workers, and different places to take them." READ MORE