Lisa Halverstadt
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lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Lisa Halverstadt
@lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
1.3K followers 450 following 760 posts
@voiceofsandiego.org senior investigative reporter digging into San Diego County government & our homelessness, housing & behavioral health crises. 📧Lisa@vosd.org
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lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
A little✨good news ✨on the San Diego homelessness data front: For the first time since June, the number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County was eclipsed by the number of people exiting homelessness.
November 18, 2025 at 4:50 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
New homelessness data: The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County continued to outpace the number moving into homes in September. @rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,106 people became homeless for the first time and 1,032 exited homelessness.
October 9, 2025 at 10:15 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
New homelessness data: The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County continued to outpace the number moving into homes in August.

@rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,086 people became homeless for the first time and 948 exited homelessness.
September 23, 2025 at 6:31 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
The leader of @sandiegocounty.bsky.social's Health and Human Services Agency is departing county government at a time of significant change and impending federal cuts that will impact county services.

The county's announcement:
September 10, 2025 at 8:34 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Today's @voiceofsandiego Morning Report also includes a rundown of other big county agenda items today - and @mckelmer's explainer on why @sdcwa's general manager is joining the @mwdh2o board that his agency spent years battling. shorturl.at/pPPa2
August 26, 2025 at 3:34 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
🧵The number of newly homeless San Diegans outpaced those exiting homelessness last month. In July, the @rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,176 people became homeless for the first time and 1,079 moved into housing.
August 19, 2025 at 8:56 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
🧵PSA: A few months after El Cajon police quietly stopped automatically responding to certain mental health crisis calls, the El Cajon City Council will discuss the policy shift at its Tuesday meeting.
August 9, 2025 at 2:35 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Also in today's Morning Report: a Midway District homeless shelter just got a closure date. shorturl.at/8RPsG
July 18, 2025 at 4:10 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
We also covered big changes to the state’s premier environmental law that should make it easier for housing developers to build in dense urban areas. shorturl.at/9L9iK
July 2, 2025 at 9:21 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
New homelessness data: The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County continued to outpace the number moving into homes in May.

@rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,076 people became homeless for the first time and 966 exited homelessness.
June 18, 2025 at 5:42 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
If you value these posts, please consider a donation during @voiceofsandiego's fundraising campaign. The Voice team works hard to get you updates like these - and while our work is free to read, it's not free to produce. vosd.org/community 🙏
June 11, 2025 at 2:48 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Gotta ask: If you value these updates, please consider a donation during our fundraising campaign. Voice is a nonprofit delivering news that's free to read but it isn't free to provide. Even small donations mean so much. 🙏vosd.org/community
June 9, 2025 at 4:10 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
PSA: If you appreciate all these updates, please consider a donation during @voiceofsandiego's campaign. Our news is free to read but producing it isn't...and even small gifts mean so much. 🙏vosd.org/community
June 5, 2025 at 3:00 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
I've also got an update on CARE Court reform legislation backed by Mayor @ToddGloria. shorturl.at/BDUAM

Excerpt:
May 28, 2025 at 4:32 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
By comparison, @rtfhsd.bsky.social also reports that 68 veterans became homeless for the first time in April and 117 exited homelessness. There’s a different trend line here because there are more housing resources for veterans.
May 15, 2025 at 9:19 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
🧵New San Diego homelessness data: The number of people becoming homeless in San Diego County continued to outpace the number moving into homes in April. @rtfhsd.bsky.social reports that 1,083 people became homeless for the first time and 966 exited homelessness.
May 15, 2025 at 9:19 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
What's next, per @suplawsonremer.bsky.social:
With funding awards now announced, local governments will play a key role in accelerating construction and clearing red tape so these projects can move forward without delay. “We brought this money home — now we need every city and every partner to help get shovels in the ground,” said Lawson-Remer. “Let’s not let bureaucracy delay care that’s ready to be built.” More Proposition 1 funding announcements are expected in the coming weeks. San Diego County continues to advocate for all remaining local projects and providers still under review.
May 12, 2025 at 11:19 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
🧵Mostly lost in the shuffle of Gov. Gavin Newsom's
homelessness announcement today: Proposition 1 funding awards for San Diego County and other regions across the state.

Apologies for the ugly screenshot but this is how the state has put out funding award info so far:
May 12, 2025 at 9:20 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
After lots of back and forth, San Diego County supervisors just added this language to their existing camping ban. 👇

They opted to remove shelter availability from the equation and to limit citations to situations with imminent risks to public health and safety.
May 7, 2025 at 5:58 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Supervisor Jim Desmond made the reserve proposal the focus of a weekend newsletter.

Email subject line: "They Want to Raid the County’s Reserves—and Come for More of Your Money."
At our next Board of Supervisors meeting, two of my colleagues are pushing a proposal to dip into the County’s emergency reserves—unlocking nearly $380 million to fund more government spending. Let me be clear: this is wrong. These reserves are supposed to protect you and your family during real emergencies—wildfires, natural disasters, economic crises. Instead, some politicians want to raid them to cover up years of overspending and fund pet projects that don’t deliver core services. This is happening while the County is facing a $138 million budget deficit this year, projected to grow to $321 million within five years. Rather than cutting wasteful spending, the County added 2,500 new government positions over the last few years and created costly new departments like the “Office of Sustainability and Environmental Justice” and the “Office of Equity and Racial Justice.” These departments don’t pave roads, protect neighborhoods, or lower your cost of living. Now, instead of reining in spending, they want to spend down our emergency reserves—and worse, they’re already talking about raising taxes to cover their growing budget. I won’t stand for it. 👉 Government already takes enough of your money. Instead of spending wisely, they’re growing bureaucracy and asking for more. 👉 I oppose dipping into reserves until we get spending under control. 👉 I oppose new tax increases that will cost San Diegans $1 billion more every year. We need fiscal responsibility—not reckless spending, not tax hikes, and not raiding funds meant for real emergencies. I’ll keep fighting for taxpayers, for common sense, and for a government that lives within its means.
May 6, 2025 at 4:03 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
More from San Diego County @suplawsonremer.bsky.social and Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe on their Tuesday reserve reform proposal which includes limits on use of reserve funds in a given year:
SUPERVISORS INTRODUCE MODERNIZED RESERVE POLICY TO PROTECT SAN DIEGO COUNTY SERVICES AMID FEDERAL CUTS San Diego, CA (May 2, 2025) — Facing mounting threats from federal and state budget cuts that would impact core County services, Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe introduce a long-overdue reform to the County’s reserve policy to safeguard public health, housing, and vital care systems. The ordinance aims to modernize outdated fiscal rules and ensure the County is financially prepared to meet urgent community services without delay. The proposed ordinance does not authorize new spending, but updates how the County defines and calculates its reserves. The goal is to bring local practices into alignment with the Government Finance Officers Association’s (GFOA) national best practices. “These aren’t abstract numbers—The threat of these cuts will have a devastating impact on our neighbors, our seniors, and our children,” said Supervisor Monica Montgomery Steppe, co-author of this proposal. “We can’t control what’s happening in Washington, but we can ensure San Diego County is equipped to act with urgency, compassion, and responsibility when we are faced with the impact of those decisions.” Currently, the County bases its reserve target on two months of all expenditures, including one-time capital costs like infrastructure projects. This approach inflates reserve requirements and misrepresents ongoing financial needs. The revised policy focuses instead on recurring operating expenses, reducing the minimum reserve target from $973 million to $945 million for this fiscal year. “We can’t afford to tie our hands while Washington walks away,” said Supervisor Terra Lawson-Remer. “This updated reserve policy ensures we can respond to real emergencies, protect core services, and stand up for the San Diegans who count on us most.” Another key change is how the County defines what counts as a reserve. The current reserve policy recognizes only “unas…
May 3, 2025 at 2:42 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Now about that homeless camping ban...

Supervisors will consider whether to add language to the county’s existing camping ban to address fire risk concerns and protection of county-managed open spaces and public works infrastructure.

Full board letter: shorturl.at/0Ok2G
May 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
Here are the concerns that Supervisors Joel Anderson and Jim Desmond raised in statements earlier this week. shorturl.at/zI3aE
May 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
🧵Tuesday's San Diego County supervisors meeting is gonna be interesting!

Supervisors will discuss proposals to change the county's reserve policy and update its existing camping ban.
Board of Supervisors meeting at the San Diego County Administration Building in downtown on Dec. 5, 2023. / Photo by Ariana Drehsler
May 2, 2025 at 10:43 PM
lisahalverstadt.bsky.social
San Diego County's top bureaucrat released an initial $8.6B county budget proposal yesterday at a time of unprecedented uncertainty.

My quick and dirty breakdown: shorturl.at/hX4f3
How the County Plans to Address its Budget Hole – For Now The county’s top bureaucrat released a proposed $8.6 billion budget on Thursday that addresses a projected $138.5 million spending gap – and could change significantly as the county confronts uncertainty around the economy and state and federal cutbacks. Chief Administrative Officer Ebony Shelton’s proposal avoids layoffs but calls for the county to eliminate 190 positions via vacancies and attrition. The largest share of those positions are in the county department focused on linking vulnerable San Diegans with safety net programs. The county says these reductions will lead to enrollment delays but will not eliminate services for people eligible for them. As The Union-Tribune reports, the budget reduces the county’s capital projects spending by roughly two thirds and makes cuts to the county’s finance and land use and environment operations. What the budget proposal doesn’t do: Shelton didn’t propose pulling from the county’s large reserve account, a decision that county spokesperson Tammy Glenn said is partly because the county’s rainy-day fund is now below the required two months of operating cash.
May 2, 2025 at 3:39 PM