San Diego police, fire department face job cuts in proposed city budget
Dozens of positions would be eliminated or frozen from the San Diego Police Department and San Diego Fire-Rescue if Mayor Todd Gloria’s proposed budget is approved.
Under the proposed budget, SDPD would cut positions for 11 lieutenants, 13 sergeant, 4 front counter officers, and 10 civilian positions. It would also add 18 new parking enforcement positions, a new mentorship program, and an e-ticket system.
Nearly a dozen positions would be eliminated for San Diego Fire-Rescue, ranging from community resource captain to dedicated bomb squad positions. During Friday’s City Council Budget Review Committee meeting, Fire Chief Robert Logan said his department will make do.
“I honor all my resources, I respect all my resources and I would love to keep all of them, but in this tough financial time, we need to be team players and we can get it done,” said Chief Logan.
During the meeting, the President of the San Diego Police Officers Association, Jared Wilson, said the proposed cuts are not meeting the priorities of the community. He also criticized the leadership of Police Chief Scott Wahl, who was promoted in June of 2024.
“Response times are the worst they have been in history, and some of the worst they have been in the nation. That reality should be driving every decision in this budget,” said Wilson.
Wilson also pointed to the results of a leadership survey among police union members, in which 81% said leadership’s prioritization of staffing and officer safety is inadequate. 22% said they have confidence in the department’s current leadership.
According to the survey results, over 300 officers were actively considering leaving—either for another agency or leaving law enforcement entirely.
“This budget is designed by Chief Wahl to protect his staff and his chief’s office. Never before have we seen such a large chief’s office that has political staff attached to it.”
City leaders have to figure out how to bridge a $118 million deficit for the upcoming fiscal year. In the mayor’s proposed $6.4 billion budget, more than $700 million would be given to SDPD—an increase of more than $15 million compared to last fiscal year.
Despite the increase in funding, Wilson believes that the money isn’t being spent appropriately.
“The priorities are wrong,” Wilson said in an interview with NBC 7.
“The difference between a cut and a freeze is just political semantics that their political staff has come up with,” Wilson said. “What we need is real transparency from the chiefs office, we need real results to get people to 911 calls in neighborhoods. Not talking points, not agendas, not a lack of transparency, it’s absolutely unacceptable,” Wilson added.
In 2025, SDPD spent more than $55 million on overtime, far over the budgeted amount of roughly $46 million. That trend has been consistent for the last 12 fiscal years. In 2026, the department is projected to spend more than $48 million.
In a statement to NBC 7, SDPD said in part: “This gap reflects an ongoing staffing shortage, a challenge faced not only by our Department but by many large law enforcement agencies nationwide. We use overtime to help offset these shortfalls; however, overtime funding only supports the equivalent of about 25 additional officers per day.”
In a phone call with San Diego Fire-Rescue, NBC 7 was told that while the positions are getting eliminated, staff will have the choice to apply elsewhere within the department. SDPD similarly said in a statement that no personnel will be laid off or demoted, but positions would be frozen so that if the financial situation changes, the positions could be restored in the future.
The mayor will release a revised final budget proposal on May 13. The city’s deadline to adopt a final budget is June ninth.
