Protesters arrested for disrupting San Francisco supes meeting over budget cuts
Protesters arrested for disrupting SF supervisors meeting over proposed budget
Union members chanted and interrupted a San Francisco Board of Supervisors for nearly two hours. They were cited and released by sheriff's deputies.
SAN FRANCISCO - Union members protesting proposed layoffs in San Francisco's budget were arrested Tuesday after disrupting the Board of Supervisors meeting at City Hall.
Sheriff's deputies led fewer than a dozen protesters out of the chamber. They were cited and released.
Balance between right to protest and handling city business
What they're saying:
"We want to balance people's right to represent themselves and their opinion but not disrupt public proceedings, such as the Board of Supervisors meeting," said Sheriff Paul Miyamoto, who was on hand to help oversee the arrests.
Among those arrested was Nicole Germain, branch manager and children's librarian at the Portola Library. She says there's a budget that does not require layoffs by Mayor Daniel Lurie.
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San Francisco Mayor Lurie unveiled his $15.9 billion budget proposal on Friday, acknowledging it contains difficult cuts to jobs and services he says are necessary.
"I do think it's possible to balance it if he makes those corporations pay their fair share," Germain said. "There is also quite a bit of money in those reserves that the mayor has from these lawsuits with these multi-million-dollar companies."
The arrests came after union members began chanting at the supervisors meeting shortly after it began at 2 p.m. They refused to leave for nearly two hours.
"We want to make sure that the Board of Supervisors supports us and supports the city and supports workers by not allowing any layoffs," said Theresa Rutherford, president of SEIU Local 1021.
Sarah Perez, who works at the city's Public Utilities Commission and is vice president of IFPTE Local 21, said, "The city can absolutely balance its budget, not on the backs of workers. We have those other one-time costs, there are other reserves the mayor can tap into."
Supervisors to continue mulling over budget
Timeline:
The ball is now in the supervisors' court. They will submit their version of the budget back to Lurie for his review in July.
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"There's a lot that's been cut in this budget, and none of it is good," Supervisor Rafael Mandelman told KTVU before the meeting was interrupted by the protest. "And if there are elements of it that we can restore or undo or make better, we're going to try to do that."
Henry Lee is a KTVU reporter. E-mail Henry at Henry.Lee@fox.com and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan
The Source: Interviews, along with previous reporting