San Jose unveils $5 billion budget with surplus

San Jose’s final draft of its multi-billion dollar budget is out and Mayor Matt Mahan is sticking to his “back-to-basics” approach—prioritizing homelessness, crime and blight.

Mahan released his June budget message today, outlining how he plans to allocate the city’s $5.2 billion purse. The monthslong budget process started smoothly, with unanimous approval of his first draft released in March. But it has since been marred by political divide, upheaval from staff demanding raises and a contentious debate on how to spend affordable housing dollars. Councilmembers put forward 81 budget requests totaling $11.1 million to cover a wide range of community needs, about 60 of which the mayor incorporated.