Mayor Lurie aims to eliminate $800M deficit with new San Francisco budget proposal
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie addressed the city Friday as he unveiled his new budget.
"Here's the bottom line. We have to stop spending more than we can afford. The era of soaring city budgets and worsening street conditions is over," Lurie said.
Lurie promises his $15.9 billion budget will close the city's massive deficit.
The mayor says the police department, the district attorney's office, street cleaning and homelessness services will retain their current funding levels.
MORE: SF nonprofits say estimated $9.5M in proposed budget cuts to social programs will cost lives
Many other departments will face cuts and, in some cases, job losses - including nonprofits, whose funding will drop back to pre-pandemic levels.
Lurie also highlighted the $400 million the city will set aside to help it potentially fight Washington.
The Trump administration has promised to halt federal funding to cities that defy its immigration policies, and Lurie confirmed Friday that other agencies like FEMA have already requested COVID-era money back from the city.
"We're going to fight for every dollar that our city is owed, whether it's at the state or whether it's at the federal level," Lurie said.
Many people are unhappy with the mayor's budget though, and pushback began nearly immediately after its introduction.
MORE: Federal cuts threaten to increase SF budget deficit to $2B, mayor warns
"It doesn't take accountability for the reasons why we're really in this crisis, which is a failure of our public officials to get money from the corporations that profited from San Francisco while they were here," said Anya Worley-Ziegmann.
Worley-Ziegmann works with the People's Budget Coalition. She believes Lurie's plan will gut the city-assisted nonprofits that many working class San Franciscans rely on every day.
"When we are cut, it is the social safety net. These are not nice to have programs. These are absolutely must have programs," Worley-Ziegmann said.
The mayor says there were no easy choices when it came to the budget, but he thinks his plan will set up the city for long term success.
"I want to be very clear, this is a painful budget. But I am hopeful and I am optimistic about our economic future here in San Francisco," Lurie said.
Watch Mayor Lurie's full address:
