OCEANSIDE — The City Council has approved the 2025-26 operating budget, which includes several new one-time expenditures and leaves the city with a projected $1.33 million surplus.
The budget, which takes effect July 1, incorporates requests made by community members and organizations during an April budget workshop. The city had initially projected a $3.28 million surplus, but added expenses reduced that figure. Additionally, $4.38 million in reserves was used to fund one-time items.
The budget includes:
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$500,000 from infrastructure reserves for renovations at the city-owned Sunshine Brooks Theater;
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$600,000 for design work on a new “Welcome to Oceanside” overhead sign;
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$68,100 for soccer goals at six school sites, pending a maintenance agreement with Oceanside Unified School District;
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$950,000 for lighting at Prince Memorial Skate Park, funded by a combination of infrastructure reserves and remaining funds from a previous transfer to the General Capital Projects account.
Local skateboarders advocated for the skatepark lighting during both the April workshop and the June 4 meeting, urging council members to prioritize the project.
“We’re the only town with four skateparks, none of which have lights,” said Oceanside resident Dwayne Carter, who frequently skates at Prince Memorial Skate Park.
Carter said Prince Park is one of the most popular skateparks in the region, but becomes unusable after dark, especially in winter months when many older skateboarders get off work.
Other skaters noted they often contribute their own money to help maintain the park, which was named after Michael “Prince” Johnson, a local skateboarder who died shortly before the park’s completion in 2013.
The updated budget also includes a phased three-year funding plan under Measure X, the city’s half-cent sales tax measure. The strategy would establish a second fire department battalion and fund three battalion chief positions.
In the first year, the general fund will cover one battalion chief, while Measure X will cover the other two battalion chiefs. Over the next two years, the general fund will gradually absorb full funding for all three positions.
The Measure X budget was also revised to allocate $150,000 of the $1 million set aside for gang diversion and youth programming to establish a free youth program at the John Landes Community Center in the Tri-City area.
Councilmember Jimmy Figueroa, who represents District 3 and grew up in the Tri-City area, expressed gratitude for the additional funding. He said the community was hit hard when the center closed during the Great Recession and welcomed its gradual reopening over the past two years.
KOCT, the city’s public access television station, will receive up to $250,000 for a one-year pilot program to expand services, including enhanced social media, public outreach and event coverage. A formal proposal is expected to be presented to the council in September.
The revised budget also allocates $700,000 in ongoing general fund expenditures to maintain the Phase III area of the San Luis Rey River Flood Risk Management Project. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers notified the city in April that the project area had been completed and would now require city maintenance.
While the council approved the budget unanimously, some members voiced concerns about the spending levels.
Mayor Esther Sanchez supported the budget overall but opposed the full $950,000 allocation for skatepark lighting. She preferred to approve only $150,000 for design work and revisit installation costs later.
“These are very uncertain times,” Sanchez said. “We need to be more realistic about where we are right now.”
Councilmember Peter Weiss also raised concerns about the city’s spending, citing the potential for future deficits. He ultimately voted for the budget after City Manager Jonathan Borrego assured him that the city could afford the new expenses.
“I’ll go along with it… but what’s happening in the city of San Diego didn’t happen overnight,” Weiss said. “It was a slow drain, and we’re heading down a similar path and need to be cautious.”
In other action, the council adopted amendments codifying a change to how appeals of Planning Commission decisions are handled. Under the new process, appeals will be reviewed de novo, allowing the council to examine an entire project rather than being limited to specific issues cited in an appeal.
Previously, the council’s review was confined to the points raised in the appeal. The new process still requires an appeal to be filed before the council can consider a project.
The de novo review policy was approved in a 4-1 vote, with Weiss casting the lone dissenting vote.
