San Bernardino County adopts $10.9 billion budget

The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously adopted the county’s fiscal year 2026-27 budget. The approximately $10.9 billion budget invests $273.7 million in targeted county priorities while maintaining core services.

The $10.9 billion represents a net decrease of $26.1 million, or 0.24 percent, from the FY 2025-26 modified budget – in practical terms, a flat budget.

The County says the slight decrease is mainly due to capital project timing and one-time funding from the prior year, not a reduction in county services.

A total of 27,592 positions are budgeted countywide, a net increase of 94 positions focused on operational, service delivery and mandated needs.

Together, the county’s Human Services group and Arrowhead Regional Medical Center represent approximately $4.3 billion, more than 40 percent of the total budget, supporting healthcare, public assistance, behavioral health, and child and family services. The Law and Justice group represents another 15 percent, meaning more than half of the budget is directed toward services that protect, support and stabilize residents and communities.

Of the $273.7 million designated for county priorities, roughly $250 million is one-time funding directed toward targeted investments rather than across-the-board spending increases. Highlights include:

• $2 million for the West End Regional Navigation Center, a homeless services partnership with cities in the Fontana area
• $5 million for the New Beginnings Campus at Glen Helen Rehabilitation Center, supporting re-entry and homeless services
• $2 million in ongoing funding for operations of the future Bloomington Animal Shelter

The budget also dedicates $77.2 million from the general fund to capital projects, much of it supporting public safety, including:

• The planned acquisition of a facility for the San Bernardino County District Attorney’s Office in the High Desert
• San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department station remodels and new specialized enforcement division buildings
• Continued investment in development assistance, which will assist the San Bernardino County Land Use Services Department to keep reducing its permit backlog

Additionally, the budget maintains a 20 percent reserve for locally funded appropriations along with a 5 percent contingency set-aside.

To view the county’s 2026-27 budget, visit main.sbcounty.gov/about-cao/finance.