It is an honor to serve as your Councilmember.

Major Wins in the FY2022 Budget for District 7 Families

     I am encouraged by the results of the Fiscal Year 2022 Budget process because I believe our budget makes substantial investments in our communities where those investments are needed most. The significant expenditures dedicated to fighting homelessness and improving our roads go a long way towards improving quality of life in our City. In short, the Adopted Budget: 
 

·       creates more opportunities for children and youth, 

·       supports the creation of local jobs, 

·       invests in critical fire prevention, and 

·       takes on the core issues of infrastructure and homelessness that District 7 constituents call my office to discuss on a daily basis. 


     The Office of Child and Youth Success is a long overdue step towards making our City more family-friendly and focusing on achieving better outcomes for the most vulnerable youth in our communities. This is a crucial step towards achieving the strong economic recovery I have been committed to since I have been in office. I am proud to have carried the torch in advocating for this improvement to our City that will help you and your neighbors find affordable, quality childcare and provide children with educational, employment, and recreational opportunities.  
 

     On the subject on taking care of our youth through our FY2022 budget, I advocated for the $2 million increase that was made in our City’s Arts and Culture funding. I am very glad to see that we restored a significant amount of this critical funding which attracts tourism and serves the children and families of our City.   
 

     As Chair of the Economic Development and Intergovernmental Relations committee, my committee colleagues and I are committed to supporting small businesses that barely made it through the pandemic, and the workers that make those businesses go. I was very glad to see that the FY22 budget includes $10 million in nonprofit and small business loans in hard-hit industries. Our new budget also created a concierge team to support small businesses and dedicated $750,000 to expand and grow the small business enhancement program to include microgrants, plus another $900,000 in discretionary grants to provide support to nonprofits and small businesses. Lastly, I was thrilled to see another much-needed investment in the future of our workforce: $1 million for the Connect2Careers workforce development program to bolster youth employment. 
 

     As I mentioned above, I am a staunch advocate for the San Carlos Library because as a former 5th grade teacher who thinks about his former students every day, I have seen first-hand the life-changing benefits a strong public library system can have in the lives of children. Investments in our libraries are truly investments in our future, which is why I was glad to advocate for and see the approval of a budget that restores library hours and invests $500,000 to enhance library youth programming.  
 

     Fire season is now year-round in the City of San Diego. For many residents in District 7, the greatest threat to their property and quality of life comes from fires. As Vice Chair of the Public Safety & Livable Neighborhoods Committee, I have advocated for the funds needed to protect our homes and businesses. I was very glad to see that our calls for additional resources were answered with the re-instatement of funding for maintenance of an additional helicopter the Fire-Rescue Department uses to extinguish fires and keep us safe, as well as a boost to weed abatement funding. I am grateful to the Mayor for including this property- and life-sustaining investment in the FY2022 budget.  
 

     Last month, I stood alongside Mayor Gloria in District 7’s Linda Vista neighborhood as he rolled out “Summer for All of Us,” a more than $2 million package of programs to help children and their families take part in activities at libraries and recreation centers. Part of this initiative is the continuation and expansion of the “SDAccess4All” initiative that aims to increase internet and technology access for San Diego youth. This is another significant and impactful investment in our children that I believe will help our children overcome the social and mental health challenges created by COVID-19. 
 

     One of, if not the greatest issue facing our City is our current homelessness crisis. I believe the Mayor has heard the calls from the residents, from me, and from my colleagues to implement new and creative approaches to this crisis that will get people off the streets and into dignified shelter. I was gratified to see that the Budget included creation of a new Homelessness Strategies Department to ensure the City is set up to be successful in its efforts to end homelessness. Also, more than $7 million has been allocated for new approaches to help people struggling with substance use and addictions to exit homelessness. These are just a few of the seven-figure investments our budget makes in addressing the homelessness epidemic, and I am optimistic for the results that can follow if we implement these proposed and funded programs successfully. 

 
     Overall, I am very encouraged by the adopted FY22 budget, and I thank all of you who attended townhalls, wrote emails, made phone calls, and sent in letters to advocate for the issues that matter to you. If you have any questions about the budget or how we went about advocating for District 7 families, please do not hesitate to contact my office at RaulCampillo@sandiego.gov or 619-236-6677. We will be happy to assist you.