San Francisco budget cuts: leaders try to minimize impact
SF Leaders considering where to cut budget
SF Board of Supervisors considering budget and where to make cuts
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco lawmakers are inching toward a budget draft. Everyone agrees that cuts will have to be made to cover a projected shortfall, but now work is underway to minimize the impact of those cuts.
Budget shortfall
What we know:
Inside San Francisco's City Hall, the budget committee worked throughout the day on finalizing a draft of revisions to the mayor's proposed $16 billion budget. The proposal includes cuts to cover a projected $800 million shortfall.
Budget Chair Connie Chan said she and her colleagues have been busy scrutinizing the mayor's plan. "Are there other ways that we can actually reduce spending in some areas and restore? Mainly the priority in this moment, is restoring jobs, essential jobs, and programming that serves some of the most vulnerable in San Francisco," said Supervisor Chan.
One of the programs facing elimination is Project Homeless Connect. The organization helps connect the homeless with critical services that could help get them into permanent housing.
Executive Director Pamela Holman said 93% of her funding from the city will end at the end of June, in just a matter of days. "That means that's it," said Holman. "The doors will close. The doors will close. 21 years of service, 21 years of connecting. What we do is connect folks to vital resources."
The mayor's statement
In a statement earlier this week, San Francisco's Mayor Daniel Lurie's office said the city is facing an unprecedented budget shortfall. "That meant making tough decisions in order to prioritize the core services necessary to keep our streets safe and clean and set up our entire city for long-term growth," the mayor's statement read.
Project Homeless Connect said they're hoping that the budget committee can find the $1.4 million in the $16 billion budget to keep operating. "We're asking that the mayor see us as a partner, an ally, as a valuable resource to exactly what his plan is," said Dolman.
Supervisor Chan said she and her fellow committee members hope to forward a budget for the full Board of Supervisors that folds in Project Homeless Connect into the mayor's vision of street teams to address homelessness. "Could there be a way that he can actually take on Project Homeless Connect and merge them as part of the team and realizing that this could be a bit more dynamic than it already is," said Supervisor Chan.
What's next:
The budget committee is set to finalize a budget proposal the board will vote on in two weeks, that will then be forwarded to the mayor before the end of July.
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