Two San Diego councilmembers are urging state lawmakers to approve $40 million in security grants for nonprofits and houses of worship targeted by hate.
SAN DIEGO — The mass shooting at the Islamic Center of San Diego this week has renewed urgency behind a push by two San Diego city councilmembers to pass $40 million in state security grants for nonprofits and houses of worship targeted by hate-motivated violence.
Councilmembers Marni von Wilpert and Raul Campillo, who chair and vice-chair the Public Safety Committee, have been lobbying for the California State Nonprofit Security Grant Program since January. Last week, Governor Gavin Newsom included the $40 million in his revised state budget. The state legislature is now considering whether to approve it.
The program was originally established in 2019 following the mass shooting at the Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego County. It was closed in 2024 when funding expired. At the same time, the Trump administration has frozen federal nonprofit security grant funds that communities had relied on, leaving many organizations without resources to harden security.
News 8 reached out to the governor’s office and the Office of Emergency Services to ask how the funds would be distributed. A spokesperson for the governor’s office says, “No one should ever fear for their safety in a place of worship. California has invested more than $300 million since 2015 to help protect 1,614 nonprofits and faith-based organizations through our Nonprofit Security Grant Program. These investments save lives, strengthen preparedness, and help ensure every community can gather in safety and without fear.”
The push comes against a troubling national backdrop. The Anti-Defamation League tracked more than 6,000 antisemitic incidents nationwide in 2025, the third-highest total since the ADL began keeping records in 1979, with physical assaults reaching an all-time high. In San Diego, 91 antisemitic incidents were reported last year, still near historic highs despite a year-over-year decline.
AAPI community leader Joann Fields says she supports the funding but has concerns about how it will be distributed. She questioned whether money would go to established organizations that have not moved the needle on hate crime prevention, or to grassroots groups with direct community ties.
“$40 million sounds like a lot, but if we’re talking about the state of California, that’s a drop in the bucket,” Fields said. “Who is actually moving the needle on this issue area?”
Von Wilpert and Campillo are urging San Diegans to call their state representatives and ask them to vote yes on the budget proposal. The state legislature is currently considering the governor’s budget.
