Harris Pushes Local Emergency Declaration, Offers Draft Legislation Amid Federal Shutdown Threat

Harris joined by San Diego County Accessor/Recorder/Clerk speaks in front of the San Diego County Administration Center in 2023 after proposing county legislation for property tax relief for San Diego flood victims in January 2024.

By San Diego Monitor News Staff

San Diego, Calif. — San Diego Public Advocate Shane Harris has called on the San Diego County Board of Supervisors to declare a Local Emergency as thousands of residents face the threat of food insecurity amid a potential federal government shutdown.

In a letter and proposal to Chair Terra Lawson-Remer and the Board of Supervisors, Harris warned that a cutoff of SNAP/CalFresh benefits on November 1 could leave nearly 400,000 San Diegans without access to essential nutrition. He wrote that the impact would extend beyond individual hardship, straining food banks, social-service organizations, and the public health system. “We face a humanitarian emergency,” Harris stated. “Hundreds of thousands of our neighbors could abruptly lose access to essential nutrition. This would not only impact personal well-being but also strain our food banks, social-service networks, and public-health infrastructure.”

Along with the letter, Harris also issued draft legislation for the emergency declaration itself. The proposed measure would empower the county to formally recognize the crisis under the California Emergency Services Act, unlocking the ability to deploy local resources and request state-level support. Harris’s legislation provides the framework for immediate coordination between county departments, nonprofit organizations, and the California Office of Emergency Services to protect vulnerable residents.

Harris urged the Board to act swiftly, calling for mobilization of emergency resources in partnership with nonprofit and faith-based organizations, reallocation of county funding to strengthen food assistance, activation of emergency-management structures, and a formal petition to the Governor for a statewide emergency declaration should the shutdown continue. He emphasized that the move would not be symbolic but a necessary step to secure state resources and ensure county leadership acts decisively and transparently.

This week, Supervisors Terra Lawson-Remer and Monica Montgomery Steppe held a joint press conference alongside several local food banks to highlight the threat facing SNAP beneficiaries. While both expressed strong support for families who depend on CalFresh, they stopped short of proposing legislation to declare a local emergency. Harris said that expressions of solidarity, while valuable, fall short of what is needed to unlock emergency powers and funding.

An official local emergency declaration would authorize the county to draw on reserve funds, fast-track coordination with state and regional agencies, and activate its emergency operations plan — measures that go far beyond issuing statements of support or increasing food bank coordination. Without the declaration, county leaders remain limited to voluntary partnerships and community-based outreach rather than deploying public emergency infrastructure and resources.

Recent county data cited by Harris shows that over 395,000 individuals—about 12 percent of San Diego County’s population—depend on CalFresh benefits. The loss of these benefits would heighten economic strain on families already struggling to make ends meet. Food banks have already reported increasing demand, and Harris warned that without action, community support systems may soon be overwhelmed. “Declaring a local emergency will send a clear and urgent message: San Diego County will not sit idly by while our residents go hungry due to a breakdown of federal systems,” Harris wrote.

He requested that the Board place the matter on its next available agenda and act immediately to safeguard residents from the coming crisis. “This is about leadership and humanity,” Harris concluded. “Now is the time for our county to stand up for all San Diegans.”