Staff Reports
San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie this week put forward a nearly $16.9 billion biennial budget that tries to do something rare in city hall: avoid mass layoffs while putting a higher priority on public safety. The proposal trims roughly 550 largely vacant positions, narrows a projected two‑year shortfall by about $300 million, and keeps a tentative plan on the table to raise police and firefighter pay by roughly 14% over several years. It’s a bold move — and the Board of Supervisors should treat it like the turning point it could be.
What the budget actually does
The headline is simple: no mass layoffs. Instead of a sweeping pink slip day, Lurie’s budget leans on vacancy eliminations, slowed hiring, reorganizations and modest cuts to some programs to close the gap. The administration says improved revenue — think hotel and business receipts coming back — and earlier hiring freezes helped cut the worst of the hole. That’s responsible budgeting: use savings where they exist, avoid slamming the door on city workers who show up every day, and keep core services running.
Key numbers to remember
Remember the round numbers: about $16.9 billion for two years, roughly 550 positions removed (mostly vacant), a reduction of about $300 million from earlier deficit projections, and a public‑safety pay package that totals about a 14% increase over four years. Analysts warn that the police and firefighter raises may cost on the order of $100 million in the near term — real money for a city watching every dollar.
Why public safety matters — yes, really
Conservatives have been saying it for years: people move where they feel safe, businesses invest where the streets aren’t a headline. Lurie’s budget doubles down on that basic idea. Raising pay for police and firefighters isn’t about feathering union nests; it’s about recruiting and keeping the people who respond when things go wrong. If this helps cut burglaries, drug dealing on city blocks, and the slow bleed of small businesses leaving, then it’s the kind of return on investment taxpayers should welcome.
The fiscal math and the risks
That said, the plan isn’t magic. The tentative public‑safety contracts still need rank‑and‑file ratification and Board approval, and labor costs are sticky. Once you commit to higher wages for big employee groups, those costs compound. Lurie’s approach tries to be honest about tradeoffs — fewer grants, reorganized departments, and harder choices elsewhere — but the Board of Supervisors will have to watch the long run. If the city substitutes short‑term relief for structural reform, the next budget could look a lot crueller.
What happens next — and how to make it work
The draft now heads to the Board for hearings, edits and votes. Supervisors should not play political theater. They should hold tough hearings, verify the Controller’s numbers, and demand a clear plan to sustain the tradeoffs Lurie is proposing. Unions need to vote on their contracts; if rank‑and‑file members say yes, the Board must make sure the new costs don’t quietly gut services for the rest of the city. San Francisco has a chance to keep people working, bring back businesses, and finally show that sensible budgeting and public safety can go hand in hand — if local officials have the courage to make the choices and the discipline to stick to them.
