SF nonprofits say vital city programs would suffer under mayor’s budget

San Francisco budget season is now in full swing, and the battle lines are coming into sharper focus.

This week, a coalition of dozens of nonprofit, labor and community groups has been combing through the long-awaited budget proposal issued by Mayor London Breed last Friday — a proposal that attempts to close a nearly $800 million two-year deficit while also maintaining spending on key priorities like public safety, reducing homelessness and spurring economic revitalization.

The coalition’s response to what they’ve learned so far about the mayor’s plan: alarm.

“It is clear that the San Francisco budget will be balanced on the backs of the working class residents of San Francisco,” read a statement released this week from the People’s Budget Coalition, which formed in response to last year’s already-tense budgeting process .

The group is pushing back against the mayor’s proposal to bolster police staffing with a 6% budget increase for the San Francisco Police Department , raising the agency’s budget to $821.6 million next year — its highest level ever.

They warn that in surging funding for law enforcement, the mayor’s budget would squeeze out a wide array of city-backed programs — including after-school activities, workforce development initiatives and community gardens — that they argue not only enrich community life but also help reduce the conditions of poverty and deprivation that lead to criminal activity in the first place.

“It is not possible to claim to prioritize economic recovery, homelessness and public safety while cutting funding for the organizations that have a proven track record of keeping our communities afloat,” the statement said.

The message is an opening salvo in this year’s budget battle, which nonprofit leaders hope will push the mayor to restore at least some of the funding that is under threat before the budget is finalized in late July.

The mayor’s office has acknowledged that Breed’s proposal includes painful cuts but also said that the most severe reductions have been steered away from direct services, like rehousing programs for the homeless and early childhood education, which have been maintained or expanded.

Nevertheless, the People’s Budget Coalition contends that the cuts will be far-reaching and impact some of The City’s most vulnerable residents.

The group calculates that the proposed budget would lead to a $39 million reduction in grant funding for programs that serve young people and families from the previous year. However, city officials say the reduction is due to a lapse in one-time funding sources related to the pandemic.

Regardless, nonprofit leaders say it could force them to lay off staff who provide a wide variety of services, including work for violence intervention programs, restorative justice programs and summer learning enrichment programs.

Two such summer programs facing potential cuts — The Village Project and Common Roots — have been operating for over a decade.

“Families are going to have to be pushed out to find something better for their kids,” said Reina Tello, a community organizer with environmental justice group PODER.

With so few activities geared toward young people in San Francisco, she added, “By not having these programs, you’re exposing them to being on the street.”

The coalition also warned that an expected 15% budget cut for the Office of Economic & Workforce Development would mean millions of dollars less for programs that help unhoused people, immigrants and youth gain financial support while acquiring crucial job skills.

Meanwhile, the budget will continue to draw down on pandemic-era rental and food support for low-income residents. Organizers with the People’s Budget Coalition said such reductions are premature.

“The economy has not recovered from the pandemic, and so we can’t expect our poorest San Franciscans to have recovered as well,” said Anya Worley-Ziegmann, a staff member with the coalition.

As advocates rally to defend cherished programs, they are also criticizing Breed’s focus on police spending, which she is hoping will help fully staff SFPD within three years.

“We know that difficult choices have to be made,” said Debbi Lerman, who directs the San Francisco Human Services Network. However, “Public safety is not just about arresting people,” she said.

“These are things that ultimately save money,” said Lerman. “People who get connected to services save money in other areas. They don’t end up in jail. They don’t end up in hospitals. They find substance use programs or find ways to get off the streets.”

The coalition is also urging the mayor to find savings by shrinking the number of high-paid managers in city government and dipping further into The City’s reserve fund.

Breed spokesperson Parisa Safarzadeh pointed out that the mayor’s proposal sustains and, in some cases, even grows funding for many of The City’s homelessness programs. The budget includes an additional $133.5 million surge in funding for the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing over last year’s allocation, which will go in part toward expanding housing options for families and adolescents.

The budget would also grow San Francisco’s programs focused on early childcare and education with an additional $120 million in new investments, said Safarzadeh.

Of course, The City’s nonprofits will not be the only ones speaking up during the upcoming budget process, including a series of meetings overseen by the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Breed has faced a barrage of budget criticism from her rivals in the mayor’s race, which includes two sitting supervisors, Ahsha Safai and Aaron Peskin.

In addition, last week, unionized Muni workers voted down a proposed labor contract , raising the possibility that transit operators, fare inspectors and others might strike for higher wages once their current contract expires at the end of June.

Still, in addition to their alarm, nonprofit leaders also express optimism.

“We have faith in our city leaders and the mayor,” said Marnie Regen, who co-chairs the Homeless Emergency Services Provider Association. “She’ll restore the cuts because she knows how important it is to make this progress.”