SAN DIEGO — The San Diego City Council's Budget Review Committee got quite an earful Friday, as the public weighed in on next year's proposed budget.
The June 7 hearing lasted more than five hours.
The majority of those who spoke said the money proposed in the 2025 budget isn't getting properly allocated, including for flood victims who still need help.
Sandra Garcia spoke through an interpreter.
“I lost everything that day and no amount of money can help recover what I lost because I lost my husband and now my son is also sick with E. coli because he was infected in the contaminated waters. No one else can help me but you. I've been a homeowner for the last 40 years and it has taken me a lot of work to get here. Now that I am a homeowner, and I’ve lost everything in one day because of the city’s negligence, I can’t take it anymore. I need help."
Garcia’s husband got sick from the flood, which she says ultimately led to his death.
She called on the council to fund a flood victim recovery program.
The revised version of the total budget is $5.8 billion.
The mayor has been promoting his proposed investments all week, including $88 million to upgrade stormwater infrastructure, and $200 million to address housing and homelessness.
But, some don't agree with how that money is being spent.
Others tell CBS 8 that necessary programs are getting cut, or are not being allocated funds.
A group of high school students spoke out saying the Officer Jeremy Henwood Memorial Park in City Heights needs funding for improvements that have long been ignored.
“Why should our community and our families have to drive so far away when we have parks right here and our council doesn't wanna invest in them? So, we asked that they do invest in them. We are in the designing phase of the park, so we wanna make sure that our families that are coming in here don't have to find a faraway place to go, “ said Karla Navarro.
The council will vote on a final budget on Tuesday.