Expect a lot of smoke and heat at City Hall this week, as San Francisco’s budget process begins in earnest. The Board of Supervisors will spend much of the week evaluating Mayor Daniel Lurie’s spending plan for 38 city departments. But first, among other things, they’ll consider curbing one of the more inflammatory aspects of the city’s scooter explosion.
Last week, Lurie submitted a $16.9 billion budget proposal for the next two fiscal years, which aims to halve the city’s $600 million deficit through eliminating 550 jobs, spending cuts, and department reorganizations. Most of the redundancies are vacant positions, and deeper reductions are instead expected with nonprofit service contracts, which shifts the impetus for layoffs to that sector. Much more potential pain is expected the following year, and a predicted long-term, structural deficit of $1 billion still looms in the background.
Cheap and unregulated e-bikes are heavily associated with the gig economy, and Mahmood’s office notes that residential fires in the Tenderloin caused by faulty batteries are on the increase.
Civil service unions and advocacy groups have already been pushing back against the cuts, but with last week’s election come and gone, they’ve lost some of their cards: Measure D, which would have significantly increased the city’s Overpaid Executive Tax, appears to have lost, 54 to 46 percent. Labor had been banking on the measure passing, arguing that future revenue from increased business taxes, along with dipping into reserves, would negate the need for cuts.
Budget chair and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan looks to make the runoff for Congress in November, boosted by the strategically timed endorsement of Nancy Pelosi and labor support, bringing further attention to the board’s budget deliberations. That said, moving the pain from civil service to contractors changes the stakes in the debate. We will see whether there is a return to a contentious “addback” process seen in earlier administrations. Additionally, District 9 Supervisor Jackie Fielder, a champion of nonprofit contractors, is still expected to be on leave and thus likely absent from the table.
The budget hearings, held by the Budget and Appropriations Committee, begin on Wednesday with consideration of 14 city departments, including the Health Service System, Human Services Agency, and Department of Public Works. They’ll continue through Thursday with departments ranging from Recreation and Park to the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing on Thursday, and the last tranche, including criminal justice-related units such as the Police Department, on Friday.
Most other supervisors’ committees aren’t meeting this week to make room for the budget process, but the full board does meet on Tuesday, and includes the monthly policy discussion with Mayor Lurie, which will likely include his pitch to the body for his budget. But before the looming budget struggles ensue, there is the supervisors’ Land Use Committee on Monday, where Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s legislation to ban uncertified lithium-ion batteries is up for consideration.
Li-On batteries, which can start particularly dangerous and toxic fires if faulty, are ubiquitous in consumer products, but most manufacturers submit their batteries to one of several testing organizations, such as Underwriters Laboratories, for safety certification.
Of particular concern are the uncertified, often refurbished large-capacity batteries used in e-bikes and scooters, which can be purchased directly online from overseas. Cheap and unregulated e-bikes are heavily associated with the gig economy, and Mahmood’s office notes that residential fires in the Tenderloin caused by faulty batteries are on the increase.
The committee is also expected to kick the can down the road on legislation that would expand a ban on tobacco smoking in outdoor areas adjacent to bars. So while debate surrounding the city’s budget heats up, that issue is destined to linger in the air a little longer.
