Michael Smolens: San Diego looks inward to counter Trump spending cuts

The San Diego region receives billions of dollars in federal aid and spending annually.

So the Trump administration budget cuts and federal realignment are going to be felt far and wide here.

There’s still plenty of gloom about that in the local outlook, but the initial shock has given way to efforts to try to offset the impacts — a tall order for sure. But little steps that have been taken suggest more public, private and nonprofit collaboration may be in the offing.

The immediate goal, of course, is to try to ease the coming pain from the federal reductions. But increasingly, civic-minded people are engaging in discussions about reimagining San Diego for the future, not just patching through until a new administration comes in, potentially with a more traditional approach to federal aid. That may never happen.

The recent moves have received considerable attention, perhaps more for their concept than their size.

San Diego County freed up $13 million in its next annual budget under a new partnership with the San Diego Foundation approved last month, according to Lucas Robinson of The San Diego Union-Tribune.

Curebound, a San Diego-based nonprofit that fundraises for cancer research, spread $8.5 million in grants across the region to advance research for such things as ...