Worse, city leaders knew what lay ahead. The Budget Office previously forecasted a more than $88 million deficit<\/a> for this cycle, yet little was done to shore up the gap. Two critical questions are being silenced in the roar of this fiscal crisis:<\/p>\n Where is the revenue strategy? Why aren\u2019t we hearing a loud, public-facing plan to increase revenue and adjust for losses? The Feb. 5 budge<\/a>t review session revealed a startling truth: the council knows exactly what we need, yet lacks the political will to execute. Data from the 2025 Community Opinion Survey<\/a> showed that residents\u2019 top priorities remain unchanged: address homelessness, housing affordability, beautify the city\/landscaping, improve public safety and reduce crime and general cost of living.<\/p>\n Budgeting is about priorities, not just math. Take the fiscal year 2025-26 budget: the mayor and council approved $29 million<\/a> in lost fees and tax breaks for developers. That was a deliberate policy choice to reduce revenue. To put that in perspective, collecting those funds would have reduced the deficit to $6 million \u2014 a rounding error of about 0.1%.<\/p>\n Beyond the numbers, we must address the civic circus of community engagement. The May public hearings are a performative exercise of inclusion. Every year, residents share lived experiences only to be ignored in final, back-room negotiations. Since budgets are finalized in June, the narrow window of a few weeks is not enough time to incorporate the feedback of a city of nearly 1 million people.<\/p>\n
\nWhat are we giving away? We must demand transparency regarding the subsidies, tax breaks and fee reductions that helped create this deficit.<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Screenshot-2026-06-02-at-9.28.25-AM-1024x578.png\")
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