The Board of Supervisors last week approved San Bernardino County’s 2025-26 budget totaling $10.5 billion.
Supervisors voted 5-0 during a June 10 public hearing, concluding a monthslong budget process.
The budget includes $205.2 million in spending for new programs while maintaining the county’s focus on financial stability and maintaining essential services for residents, officials said.
“Nearly a quarter of our fiscal year is spent engaging with departments and the public to craft the budget, and the results show in our stability and response to local needs,” board Chairman and 3rd District Supervisor Dawn Rowe said in a statement. “We’re not just balancing the books — we’re strengthening our ability to serve residents now and into the future.”
The county’s Chief Executive Officer Luther Snoke and Chief Financial Officer Matthew Erickson led a presentation prior to the board’s vote.
“This budget reflects our values by investing in people, protecting public services, and ensuring every community has the support it needs to succeed,” 5th District Supervisor Joe Baca Jr. said in a statement. “Our strategy has built a stable environment that supports employee retention and reliable service delivery to residents.”
The budget approved by the Board of Supervisors on Tuesday can be viewed at main.sbcounty.gov/about-cao/finance.
According to the county executives’ presentation, updates to priority investments include:
- $7.5 million to establish a wildfire prevention reserve to support county departments responding to wildfires;
- $7.5 million increase for the District Specific Priorities Program to support community needs in the supervisorial districts;
- $3 million increase in public infrastructure reserve for road improvements; and
- $2 million added to the community services upgrade reserve.
The sheriff’s department will also spend $1 million for the continued deployment of body worn cameras in both patrol and detentions, Erickson reported.
He also pointed to a 36% increase for the county Office of Homeless Services, which will receive about $45 million in a range of new state and local funding sources for housing, rental assistance and health services for county residents experiencing homelessness.
A $164 million increase in the budget is for Arrowhead Regional Medical Center to expand internal medicine, medical imaging and cardiology, Erickson said.
Notable budget decreases include:
- A $125.9 million reduction in the county’s capital improvement program, reflecting the natural year-to-year fluctuation as major projects are completed and new ones begin; and
- A $263 million decrease in other funding, which includes contingencies, general fund set-asides and contributions to reserves.
Staffing levels will remain “near-flat” after several years of rapid growth of about 3,000 employees, adding only select positions while eliminating vacant ones, officials said.
