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San Francisco Police Commission hears budget warning as city plans large midyear cuts
Summary
City and department financial officers told the Police Commission Dec. 10 that San Francisco faces a multi‑hundred‑million dollar shortfall and that proposed mid‑year and next‑fiscal‑year cuts could force hiring freezes, delayed academy classes and other reductions in police civilian staffing and equipment.
The San Francisco Police Commission was told Dec. 10 that the city and the police department face a worsening budget picture that could translate into significant personnel and program cuts.
Michael Bukowski, the department's finance director, told commissioners the mayor's office has rolled out roughly $118 million in mid‑year solutions intended to help the city close the current fiscal gap and that the department is preparing for a larger shortfall next year. Bukowski said the mayor's budget office has proposed a 12.5% mandatory cut for departments plus a 12.5% contingency, which together could mean a roughly 25% reduction in general‑fund support if adopted. He described two immediate departmental measures: a freeze on civilian hires that has yielded approximately $3.3 million in savings and delaying the May and June academy classes for an estimated $560,000 in one‑time savings.
The presentation flagged other potential pressures: the city's wage‑increase obligations for police could add roughly $15 million if departments are asked to absorb those costs, and Bukowski warned that across‑the‑board equipment, materials and supply reductions were still being quantified.
Commissioners probed how the city computes baseline staffing for budget reductions — the charter figure of 1,971 full‑duty uniform positions was cited — and whether contractual wage increases are counted inside or on top of proposed reductions. Bukowski said past practice had treated the baseline as a starting point and that overtime and other adjustments have complicated a straightforward comparison. He described the figures given as a "worst‑case scenario" while final mayoral targets were still pending.
Commission President Teresa Sparks and other commissioners asked for follow‑up in January, when the department said it would return with unit‑level options and more precise figures. Bukowski said the department will present initial budget options and a plan for identifying efficiencies and deferrals when the commission meets again.
The commission did not take formal budget votes at the meeting; commissioners emphasized the need for rapid clarity so the department and affected programs can plan for personnel and service decisions.
The police department and the mayor's office will meet in the coming days to finalize budget instructions for 2009–10; the department indicated it expects to provide commissioners more detailed scenarios at the January meeting.
