Lee Heidhues 4.20.2023
San Francisco is looking at a yawning budget deficit.
San Francisco’s projected budget deficit for next year has risen to $291 million because of higher costs, lower-than-projected revenue and unexpected expenses for police overtime and street cleaning
Despite this harsh fiscal reality the Board of Supervisors voted 10-1 to approve a three year contract with the San Francisco Police Department which will see a massive increase in the SFPD budget.
This caving in to the cops comes just weeks after the Supervisors voted to give the cops a $25 million ‘supplemental’ for overtime pay.
Despite the lack of police accountability, the well documented instances of police abuse, and the fact the SFPD has done a questionable job of clearing cases only one Supervisor, Dean Preston, voted NO.
Most shameful is the fact that three Supervisors, who think of themselves as Progressives, succumbed to the law and order rhetoric of the Mayor and voted for a massive three year contract for SFPD.
Connie Chan
Hillary Ronen
Shamann Walton
The current budget grew the police department budget by more than $50 million, to about $714 million in fiscal year 2023, according to the mayor’s office.
What is San Francisco’s total budget?
On July 29, 2022 Mayor London Breed signed into law a $13.1 billion City budget for Fiscal Year 2022.
The Police Department currently receives over half San Francisco’s budget.
The new contract will see San Francisco will raise pay and add retention bonuses to lure and keep police officers at a cost of $166.5 million over three years under a new contract approved earlier this week.
The new contract between the city and the San Francisco Police Officers Association is trying to boost staffing by giving cops a 10.75% raise over three years and raising starting pay for recruits to the highest among large cities in the Bay Area.
https://www.sfchronicle.com/sf/article/sfpd-police-raise-approved-crime-in-sf-17897716.php
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