Why a government shutdown hurts San Diego more than other CA cities

By Deborah Brennan, CalMatters

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As soon as the federal government shutdown kicked in last week, the San Diego Food Bank jumped into action, planning food drives and ordering extra supplies. Feeding San Diego noticed an immediate surge in food demand as government agencies closed.

With the largest military population in California, and one of the highest costs of living in the country, San Diego County is bracing for missed paychecks and runs on food banks from the shutdown, now in its second week.

Last week armed service members and federal employees were furloughed or notified that they’ll have to work without pay after Senate Democrats and Republicans faced off over health care spending and other issues.

California has the most service members of any state, with about 213,000 active duty military and reserve, according to federal data. More than half of those – 117,000 service members – are based in San Diego County, along with 34,000 civilian military employees, who “would be forced to work without pay during a shutdown,” three local Congress members stated.

The county hosts five military installations, including the West Coast powerhouses of Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton and Naval Base San Diego. It’s also one of the priciest areas, with the city of San Diego ranked as the 9th most expensive urban area by the Council for Community and Economic Research this year.

That adds up to a big headache for military personnel and their families, many of whom stretch their dollars under normal circumstances and may go without pay this month. Officials said they were paid as usual Oct. 1, but many could miss out on their next paycheck on Oct. 15. Others who are paid monthly could see their wages frozen Nov. 1.

“We know that because of the cost of living in San Diego that active duty troops are already having a hard time getting by,” Rep. Scott Peters, a San Diego Democrat, said. “We’d like to get this over as quickly as possible. This is no way to support them.”

Rep. Mike Levin, a Democrat from Carlsbad and Dana Point, said Congress members have proposed a bill called the “Pay our Troops Act,” which would extend military pay during the shutdown.

“I don’t think our service members should be caught in the middle of that,” he said.

There’s been no movement on passing that bill, but Levin signed a letter urging House Speaker Mike Johnson to bring it to a vote.

Military families prepare for pay loss

Local groups that support military families are gearing up in case the shutdown stretches from weeks to months.

“Rent still needs to be paid, food needs to be put on the table, cars need to be paid for, and our military families are now in the stress of uncertainty,” said Maggie Meza, executive director for the San Diego Chapter of Blue Star Families.

The group’s annual survey found that most military families nationwide have less than $3,000 in savings, and one in four service members struggle to put food on the table. That’s a big problem for newer service members at the lower end of the pay scale, advocates said. 

“That is an immediate impact for many people living paycheck to paycheck, like many of our junior troops are,” said Janessa Goldbeck, CEO of Vet Voice Foundation. 

With grocery prices up because of inflation and tariffs, food is a top concern. San Diego’s inflation rate in July was the highest in the country at 4%, driven by rising costs of food, fuel, health care and cars. To make up for the growing gaps in food access, the San Diego Food Bank and Feeding San Diego plan to expand food distribution and add pop-up food banks near military installations.

The San Diego Food Bank serves 400,000 people each month, and about 10% of those are military members and their families, CEO Casey Castillo said. That could rise by tens of thousands if the shutdown persists. 

“We have reserves on hand and we also have a financial reserve policy that allows us to respond to emergencies like this,” Castillo said. “We have already started to place orders, in case demand spikes during the shutdown. And it’s also an opportunity to work with the community on food drives.”

Allison Glader, a spokesperson for Feeding San Diego, said the organization saw an uptick in food bank use last week, which could represent people stocking up in anticipation of a pay freeze next week. Economic conditions in San Diego put many service members on edge, even before the shutdown, she said.

“You don’t get to choose where you’re stationed,” she said. “Maybe what was okay in another city is not able to stretch enough to make ends meet (in San Diego.) Then you’re choosing between putting gas in the car, food on the table, or paying the electricity bill. One missing paycheck: that’s life-changing.”

More government shutdown woes

The status of federal food assistance complicates the picture. Both the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) have money for this month, but aren’t funded after that, Levin said

Military child development centers, base commissaries and health care facilities could also cut services or hours. The Naval Medical Center San Diego stated online that it would provide routine and emergency care, but claims could be delayed during the shutdown.

“There’s a lot of dual military families that rely on childcare services,” Goldbeck said. “So you’re asking people to show up for work without pay, and potentially with no childcare for their kids.”

She said the shutdown could also have foreign policy impacts if financial uncertainty undermines morale and weakens force readiness.

“If you are stationed across the world and you’re trying to focus on being on a mission and you’re having to think about the fact that your family might not have food on the table, it’s a very stressful scenario,” Glader said.

Public lands and beyond

San Diego has no national parks, but Cabrillo National Monument and Cleveland National Forest are both closed to the public. A notice on the monument website stated that “All events (including education programs) are cancelled while the lapse of appropriations continues.”

Monument staff did not respond to questions during the closure, but Goldbeck, whose organization organizes veterans to support public lands, said dozens of school field trips and weddings were called off.

The National Park Service stated that 846,000 people visited the monument last year, spending about $60 million in the community and contributing $80 million to the local economy. So its closure could dampen regional tourism.

The 46,000-acre Cleveland Forest can’t merely shut a gate to keep motorists and hikers out, but the absence of forest staff and rangers creates a risk to both the natural resources and tourists who ignore the closure. During the 2018 shutdown, unauthorized park visitors damaged ancient trees at Joshua Tree National Park and littered Death Valley with mounds of toilet paper.

“Last time the government shut down we saw overflowing trash and human waste and we saw people walk in where there are no emergency services,” Goldbeck said.

Air traffic controllers and TSA staff are also subject to the shutdown and may have to work without pay. The Federal Aviation Administration reported that staffing shortages are creating flight delays around the country as airport workers call in sick. San Diego air traffic controllers had to step in to manage flights at Burbank Airport, after its air traffic control tower was temporarily left unstaffed Monday.

But San Diego International Airport, which opened a new terminal last month, hasn’t seen flight delays or staff shortages so far, officials said.

“San Diego International Airport continues to operate normally,” and essential federal aviation personnel including air traffic controllers are expected to remain on duty, airport spokesperson Nicole Hall said in a statement Tuesday.

But as “travel volumes grow or federal staffing constraints intensify, delays may occur.”

The San Diego Regional Chamber of Commerce warned that the shutdown could destabilize cross-border business relationships between San Diego and Mexico, upsetting industries including tourism and defense.

”Every day the government is closed creates disruptions that impact businesses, workers, and families across our binational region,” CEO and President Chris Cate said.

What lawmakers are doing

In San Diego, as in Washington, D.C., Democratic and Republican lawmakers hold each other at fault for the shutdown. 

Jonathan Wilcox, a spokesman for Rep. Darrell Issa, San Diego’s lone Republican representative, said Congressional Democrats set the expiration date for the health care tax credits in the original legislation, so they’re responsible for that program’s sunset.

“(Issa) voted to maintain funding at current levels and keep the government open,” Wilcox said. “Every Democrat in the San Diego delegation voted no. Then Senate Democrats shut down the government. I think that record is clear.”

The tax credits, introduced under former President Biden in 2021, made health care more affordable for millions, and their expiration could double health insurance premiums for up to 600,000 Californians.

While Democrats set a time limit on the original tax credits for policy holders, they’ve staked their position on extending it before policy holders face sticker shock during open enrollment next month. They received unexpected support across the aisle this week.

“Democrats, and now (Republican Rep.) Marjorie Taylor Greene, are calling for the premium assistance to be extended and for Medicaid cuts to be rescinded,” said Thad Kousser, a professor of political science at UC San Diego. “And Republicans are opposing that. So there is an honest policy debate on health care that is driving the shutdown.”

Levin and Peters said it’s up to Republicans to negotiate a compromise.

“The Republicans control the House, the Senate and the White House,” Levin said. “They could end this today.”

The White House did not respond to questions from CalMatters about the effects of the shutdown in San Diego. 

Levin said he requested to have his own pay withheld during the shutdown, and Peters said he will donate his to military organizations. Both questioned why President Donald Trump, with a reputation for dealmaking, hasn’t stepped in to end the impasse.

“Here is the opportunity for this supposed great dealmaker to get the people in the room and make the deal, and so far he’s not even trying,” Levin said.

There’s more to their ask. Trump has clawed back congressionally approved funding for programs including foreign aid, infrastructure and education. So if Democrats agree to funding, they want to make sure he’ll spend it.

“We’ll need some assurance that if we make a deal, he’s going to follow the deal, otherwise it would be foolish for us to agree,” Peters said.

This article was originally published on CalMatters and was republished under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives license.