Budget battle hits eleventh hour
By: Joshua Sabatini
Examiner Staff Writer
June 30, 2009
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| Tone deaf: The City’s 311 call center currently operates 24 hours a day, but may be reduced to 12 in order to save money. (Examiner file photo) |
SAN FRANCISCO — Nearly $1 million for Mayor Gavin Newsom’s new Tenderloin neighborhood court was slashed, the mayor’s 311 call center’s 24-hour operation was threatened and other politically charged funding cuts surfaced as the fight about The City’s spending priorities heads for a showdown Wednesday.
The Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee, led by rookie Supervisor John Avalos, has trimmed about $20 million from Newsom’s proposed $6.6 billion budget since beginning its review June 17.
The committee, however, has identified about $80 million in cuts to substance abuse, mental health, homeless and other services it wants to restore. And it’s looking to make even deeper cuts to restore at least $50 million.
After cutting a portion of the nearly $1 million in Newsom’s budget for the Tenderloin’s Community Justice Center, the committee voted 3-2 on Monday to take the remainder.
Committee members also indicated a willingness to have the Newsom-backed 311 call center — a free service offering information about The City and various services — reduce operating hours from 24 to 12, possibly 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
The committee also cut $971,324 earmarked for a controversial capital project to transform the currently unused podium in the Legislative Chamber at City Hall into one accessible by wheelchair users. That project ignited a political firestorm last year when Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who uses a wheelchair, and Newsom blasted members of the board when they opposed the project. Those against the project cited the high cost as the reason to oppose it.
After voting last week to cut $6 million from the Fire Department, the committee is working to obtain a “proportional” cut — more than $6 million — from the Police Department, which is negotiating the exact amount with committee members and the
Mayor’s Office.
Committee members have criticized Newsom for closing the $438 million deficit without “sharing the pain” equally among city departments, but instead increasing funding for public safety while slashing health and other social services.
Also in the crosshairs of the committee is money for The City’s surveillance cameras to help fight crime and a gunshot detection system. Those could also be targeted for cuts Wednesday.
But there are more than just cuts making up the savings in the budget.
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu floated a proposal Monday that would crack down on The City’s technology spending by moving toward a more centralized system, for a savings of $2 million.
The committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday, the beginning of the fiscal year, to finalize the $6.6 billion budget proposal and then forward it to the full board for a vote.
jsabatini@sfexaminer.com
