Supes Work to Protect San Francisco Budget

Under the cloud of Sacramento’s awful budget deal, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed the City budget yesterday – knowing state cuts (including a raid on local government funds) will put us right back in the hole. The City Charter gives Gavin Newsom the power to make unilateral mid-year cuts, so the Board debated how to prevent a Mayor – who has dissed the legislative branch for years – from gutting $43.7 million in services they had just restored. Budget Committee Chair John Avalos – who with Board President David Chiu had negotiated a budget with the Mayor’s Office – offered an ordinance to have Newsom return when mid-year cuts happen, giving the Board a chance to weigh in. But Avalos and Chiu also voted against a Charter Amendment curbing the Mayor’s discretion to not spend appropriated funds, prompting Chris Daly to storm out of the Board Chambers. Ross Mirkarimi’s motion to put Newsom’s “pet projects” on reserve also failed to pass, but David Campos’ motion – putting $45 million from the City’s seven largest departments on reserve to give the Board leverage – prevailed. The Supervisors also voted to give $650,000 back to the Public Defender, cut $483,000 from the Police and restore about $1 million to the public campaign fund.

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