The Board of Supervisors began the 2025–26 budget process Tuesday with a public hearing and financial update from the San Bernardino County CEO and chief financial office
The presentation led by CEO Luther Snoke and CFO Matthew Erickson emphasized four categories that have drawn officials’ focus: using data to guide decisions, addressing workforce recruitment and retention, maintaining stability amid economic uncertainty and seeking responsible opportunities for growth, according to a county statement.
With about 16% of county positions vacant, Snoke noted the opportunity to attract skilled workers from the public sector.
Erickson outlined the current economic landscape that will shape the county’s budget for the fiscal year that starts July 1. He noted a shift from previous years’ inflation-driven concerns to the emerging risks surrounding tariffs and the possibility of “stagflation,” which refers to periods of combined high inflation, stagnant economic growth and high unemployment.
Los Angeles-based Beacon Economics, which assists San Bernardino County officials with economic forecasting, projected continued economic stability in 2025-26, according to a presentation delivered to the board on Tuesday.
But changes in the nation’s trade policy could influence the Inland Empire’s position as a logistics and warehousing hub, a key economic sector for the region, officials cautioned. Recent declines in local Proposition 172 sales tax revenues that help fund public safety budgets, a hiring slowdown in the warehouse/logistics sector and reduced home sales driven by higher mortgage rates are also signs of a “post-pandemic normalization that could moderate future revenue growth for the county.”
The county’s 2024-25 budget totaled $10.2 billion.
According to Snoke and Erickson’s presentation, $6.07 billion, or nearly 60% of the budget is from “other sources” that include investments and other unspecified revenue streams. Nearly 29%, or $2.91 billion comes from federal, state and other government sources, with the federal government’s share of that at about $1 billion, Erickson said. The county general fund’s $1.18 billion provided 11.6% of the total budget.
“Despite uncertainty … Beacon Economics is confident that the economy will stay on track in the near term and does not foresee a recession,” the firm observed in January. “The outlook for San Bernardino County could change if … tariffs (are imposed) on key trading partners, triggering a trade war.”
Looming potential threats aside, Erickson said the county remains in a strong fiscal position with more than $74 million in ongoing reserves. Ericson pointed to the county’s conservative 3% property tax growth model and the more than $200 million in general funds for employee compensation and to retirement obligations through 2030.
Supervisors have also allocated roughly $9.3 million to prepare for potential impacts to the jail system stemming from the passage of Proposition 36, which stiffens penalties for property crimes and could lead to higher rates of incarceration in local jails.
“Through prudent, data-informed financial planning, the county underscores its commitment to financial stability amid an evolving economic climate,” according to the county statement.
Lorraine Enriquez was the only county resident who spoke during the hearing’s public comments portion. She called for “fair and habitable housing” near schools and transit centers and for more robust investment in services to address homelessness, provide health care, offer violence intervention and prevention programs and reduce the number of in-custody deaths in county jails.
To view the county executives’ budget process presentation, visit tinyurl.com/3zwb4hds.
Upcoming key dates in the budget process include May 6 for the 2025-26 Budget Workshop, the May 20 “budget book delivery” and the budget hearing and adoption vote on June 10, according to the presentation.
