Reactions to San Francisco mayor's office plan to cut 500 City Hall jobs due to budget shortfall
San Francisco mayors office plans to cut hundreds of jobs over budge shortfall
San Francisco City Hall is cutting back on spending as the city faces an $877 million budget shortfall. As a result, Mayor Daniel Luries office is looking to cut at least 500 jobs.
SAN FRANCISCO - San Francisco City Hall is cutting back on spending as the city faces an $877 million budget shortfall. As a result, Mayor Daniel Lurie's office is looking to cut at least 500 jobs.
What we know:
The mayor's budget director, Sophia Kittler, emailed staff on Monday, indicating the cuts are driven in large part by federal reductions to health care funding.
Some of the job cuts will be in the form of layoffs, Kittler told The San Francisco Standard.
FILE ART - San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie
The city's health department alone is expected to cut roughly $20 million in staff costs, equal to about 100 staff members.
When word of the job cuts first broke, we reached out to the mayor's office for comment and were referred to the budget director's email. On Tuesday, Mayor Lurie said this would be a painful process, but that the city has to make difficult financial choices moving forward.
The budget director's email instructs department heads to begin evaluating their workforce, saying the city needs to cut $100 million in salaries and benefits, which is where the 500 jobs figure comes from.
Mayor Lurie on a ‘painful process’
"We have a billion dollar, close to a billion dollar budget deficit over the next two years as a city," Lurie said. "We have a fiscal responsibility, and actually, by law, we have to have a balanced budget and so that requires making painful cuts. We've seen incredible cuts at the federal level."
Lurie said no department has been spared, but he said he's committed to keeping the city safe and clean.
"I am gonna be focused on clean and safe streets, leaning into our economic recovery," focusing on core services and those core services are around public safety around keeping our streets clean around getting people who need help off the street and into recovery."
Last month, the mayor announced legislation for a new sobering center moved forward. The so-called RESET center (Rapid Enforcement, Support, Evaluation and Triage) will be overseen by the Department of Public Health and the SF Sheriff's Office. The center is scheduled to open this spring.
What's next:
Kittler said departments must also trim contracts and reduce overtime with plans due by March 12. The mayor is set to present his budget in June, which the Board of Supervisors will need to approve in July.
Union reacts
SEIU Local 1021 – The Service Employees International Union's Northern California chapter reacted to this latest economic development.
"The positions on the chopping block are critical public services that San Franciscans of all walks of life depend on," said Theresa Rutherford, SEIU 1021's president. "San Francisco's recovery and economic success is tied to the workers who do the hard work every day to keep this city supported and deliver important services to the community."
This is a developing news story.
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