City budget cuts ignite a political firestorm
By: Joshua Sabatini
Examiner Staff Writer
June 16, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO — Fired-up political heavyweights on opposite sides of the aisle battled each other Tuesday outside and inside City Hall about $82 million in cuts to public-safety departments.
Progressive members of the Board of Supervisors championed cutting the Police, Fire and Sheriff departments’ budgets and instead use the money to offset cuts to health services. Mayor Gavin Newsom joined the police and fire unions to blast the budget slashing.
Hours after the political battle played out in dueling demonstrations, the Board of Supervisors voted 7-3 to cut $82 million from the public-safety departments.
Fire Chief Joanne Hayes-White called the cuts “downright dangerous.” Supervisor Carmen Chu, who opposed the cuts, warned they could mean hundreds of layoffs and service reductions for police and fire.
But the debate is far from finished.
The board approved the cut for what is known as an interim budget, a temporary city and county spending plan that’s used for about one month until the board finalizes the mayor’s budget.
“We are not proposing to cut $82 million from the Police Department, the Fire Department, the Sheriff’s Department as the end result,” Supervisor David Campos said. “This is the beginning of the discussion.”
The move indicates that politically charged battles will come as supervisors hold hearings and make changes to Newsom’s $6.6 billion budget for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Supervisor John Avalos, who chairs the board’s Budget and Finance Committee and who proposed the cuts, said departments should “share the pain.” He said that the proposed spending plan balances itself “on the backs of low-income [residents]” and people who provide services for poorer San Franciscans.
Supervisor Chris Daly said the cuts Newsom dealt to health services are “compromising public safety” and will lead to an “exacerbation” of problems on city streets, including an “uptick in homelessness.”
Newsom slammed the board for making the “out of nowhere” decision without even consulting the affected departments. He also warned against such cuts after The City has been able to decrease the homicide rate and when a major earthquake is inevitable.
Board of Supervisors President David Chiu said he’s not looking for layoffs, but instead asking these departments to find “efficiencies.” The Fire Department, he said, would need to identify $15 million out of a $278 million budget.
Today, the Budget and Finance Committee begins its hearings on Newsom’s spending plan.
Brouhaha in City Hall
Members of the Board of Supervisors voted 7-3 to approve Mayor Gavin Newsom’s interim budget after amendments were made to cut $82 million from the budgets of the Police, Fire and Sheriff’s departments. A “yes” means support of the amended interim spending plan.
| District 1 | Eric Mar | Yes |
| District 2 | Michela Alioto-Pier | No |
| District 3 | David Chiu | Yes |
| District 4 | Carmen Chu | No |
| District 5 | Ross Mirkarimi | Yes |
| District 6 | Chris Daly | Yes |
| District 7 | Sean Elsbernd | Excused* |
| District 8 | Bevan Dufty | No |
| District 9 | David Campos | Yes |
District 10 |
Sophie Maxwell | Yes |
| District 11 | John Avalos | Yes |
* Elsbernd was excused from the meeting due to the birth of his child
