A San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ committee has reached a consensus on the mayor’s roughly $17 billion two-year budget for fiscal years 2014-15 and 2015-16.
The board’s five-member Budget and Finance Committee revised the budget Wednesday night and unanimously passed the proposed spending plan and managed to find $40 million in savings over the two-year period, committee chair Mark Farrell said today.
Some of the highlights of the revamped budget, which breaks down to about $8.6 billion for each year, include $3 million more to homeless services, an additional $2 million for food security, more funding for Vision Zero and other pedestrian safety efforts, more park patrol officers, beefed up funding for a police arson investigation team, and other investments in city infrastructure, youth and senior services and public safety.
Supervisor Scott Wiener hailed the committee’s proposal to fund more park patrols, increase cleaning and landscaping efforts through the city’s Department of Public Works, and fund other benefits for the city’s Recreation and Park Department, including tree maintenance.
Members of Service Employees International Union Local 1021, which represents city employees, decried the proposed budget, which they say does not provide enough funding to nonprofit organizations, many of which are struggling to pay rent and adequately pay workers.
Union members said many programs that serve seniors, homeless residents, the disabled and at-risk youth, among other populations, have not received enough of a funding bump to continue to serve the community.
The full Board of Supervisors is slated to vote on the proposed budget at its July 15 meeting before a July 31 deadline.
Sasha Lekach, Bay City News
