FROM OUR MAYOR'S OFFICE
Ensuring our city is safe, solvent and successful
Since becoming your mayor in January, I have been travelling across the city meeting residents, talking to them about my priorities, and asking them what is going on in their neighborhoods. Whether I am on a merchant walk, at a community meeting or a Budget Town Hall, San Franciscans have been very clear about what concerns them. They want government to focus on providing basic city services and living within our means.
You have probably heard much talk already about the city’s fiscal outlook. There is no greater challenge we face as a city family than balancing our budget while providing important city services to our residents. We are facing an estimated $306 million deficit next year. If we do not take action on long-term budget solutions, the deficit is projected to grow to $642 million in just two years. There are no easy answers, but we are working tirelessly to find savings and tighten our belts. Make no mistake, balancing the budget in a way that protects basic city services is among my top priorities.
At the many Budget Town Halls I have co-hosted with the Board of Supervisors, I have shared my guiding principles that I will use to make tough choices that need to be made in order to submit a balanced budget on June 1. My decisions are guided by three principles: ensuring our city is safe, solvent and successful.
When I talk about a safe city, I am talking about public safety. People who live, work, and visit here deserve to feel safe everywhere they go. But by safe, I also mean we need to protect our local social safety net that supports San Francisco seniors, youth, and low-income and working-class families.
Fiscal solvency is a challenge because the city’s budget projections over the next few years paint a bleak picture. A significant issue is the cost of pensions and benefits. These costs are hitting our general fund to the tune of $100 million a year and rising fast. If we don’t take action, costs will escalate quickly and squeeze out funding we need for services. City employees have worked hard and deserve a dignified pension, but we must provide pensions we can afford. I am working closely with every group, member of the board, and all concerned parties about this issue so that I can propose a fair, reasonable and feasible pension reform plan to San Francisco.
Finally, we need to ensure that our city is successful. From supporting our neighborhoods to making sure our parks are clean and safe, to paving our streets, we need San Francisco to remain a strong, successful city. Creating and keeping jobs in our city is one of the best things we can do to be successful. Whether improving the city’s payroll tax structure or creating legislation that encourages businesses to thrive here, I am working to make sure companies locate and stay in San Francisco, not just so these companies can stimulate our local economy, but so that our residents can find jobs.
I want to thank everyone for your input and ideas over the last few months. To get information about the budget, go to www.sfmayor.org. As always, call 311 to request city services.
You have probably heard much talk already about the city’s fiscal outlook. There is no greater challenge we face as a city family than balancing our budget while providing important city services to our residents. We are facing an estimated $306 million deficit next year. If we do not take action on long-term budget solutions, the deficit is projected to grow to $642 million in just two years. There are no easy answers, but we are working tirelessly to find savings and tighten our belts. Make no mistake, balancing the budget in a way that protects basic city services is among my top priorities.
At the many Budget Town Halls I have co-hosted with the Board of Supervisors, I have shared my guiding principles that I will use to make tough choices that need to be made in order to submit a balanced budget on June 1. My decisions are guided by three principles: ensuring our city is safe, solvent and successful.
When I talk about a safe city, I am talking about public safety. People who live, work, and visit here deserve to feel safe everywhere they go. But by safe, I also mean we need to protect our local social safety net that supports San Francisco seniors, youth, and low-income and working-class families.
Fiscal solvency is a challenge because the city’s budget projections over the next few years paint a bleak picture. A significant issue is the cost of pensions and benefits. These costs are hitting our general fund to the tune of $100 million a year and rising fast. If we don’t take action, costs will escalate quickly and squeeze out funding we need for services. City employees have worked hard and deserve a dignified pension, but we must provide pensions we can afford. I am working closely with every group, member of the board, and all concerned parties about this issue so that I can propose a fair, reasonable and feasible pension reform plan to San Francisco.
Finally, we need to ensure that our city is successful. From supporting our neighborhoods to making sure our parks are clean and safe, to paving our streets, we need San Francisco to remain a strong, successful city. Creating and keeping jobs in our city is one of the best things we can do to be successful. Whether improving the city’s payroll tax structure or creating legislation that encourages businesses to thrive here, I am working to make sure companies locate and stay in San Francisco, not just so these companies can stimulate our local economy, but so that our residents can find jobs.
I want to thank everyone for your input and ideas over the last few months. To get information about the budget, go to www.sfmayor.org. As always, call 311 to request city services.
