S.F. activists deliver 1,500 postcards to Lurie, asking to stop budget cuts

"This was the strategy of the People's Budget Coalition - made up of various nonprofits and other city-funded groups impacted by budget cuts - which delivered over 1,500 postcards today to Mayor Daniel Lurie's office. Each card was inscribed with an individual's plea to keep the mayor's budget cuts at bay. Those cuts have gutted many social programs, advocates say, including immigrant services and public health initiatives."

""People will die if these budget cuts move forward," said Anya Worley-Ziegmann, coalition coordinator. The postcards were tied together with string, and activists lined up to deliver them to Lurie's office. Representatives from different community groups - among them seniors and people with disabilities, neighborhood residents, and others from the HIV Advocacy Network - spoke to a representative from the mayor's office, who stood outside, listened to each person, and took notes."

"San Francisco is facing a $643 million deficit, and Lurie earlier this year instructed departments to cut programs, stop hiring, and review all contracts for potential savings. "We have to make painful decisions," Lurie said during that Q&A. "I want to set our city up on firm financial footing, I want to think long term about the city.""

"Lurie has largely spared law enforcement from the cuts, however, and the city recently approved new police and firefighter contracts that would cost $100 million extra over two years. The mayor only has "discretionary" control over some $3 billion - about 19 percent - of the city's $16 billion budget. The rest is set in stone on account of "enterprise departments" like the airport and the port that operate mostly independently, and funds that have been pre-allocated for certain programs."

A coalition of nonprofits and city-funded groups delivered more than 1,500 postcards to Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office. Each postcard carried an individual plea to prevent budget cuts that advocates say have reduced or eliminated immigrant services and public health initiatives. Activists tied the cards together with string and delivered them while community representatives spoke to a mayor’s office representative who listened and took notes. Lurie’s office directed press to earlier remarks in which the mayor said the city faces a $643 million deficit and that departments must cut programs, stop hiring, and review contracts. Lurie said painful decisions are needed to secure long-term finances, while law enforcement was largely spared and new police and firefighter contracts add $100 million over two years.

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