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San Francisco health department told to plan for sharp general‑fund cuts after $1.7 billion shock
Summary
City finance staff told the Health Commission May 19 that COVID‑19 has pushed the city's revenue outlook toward the high end of an earlier $1.1–$1.7 billion range, and asked departments to prepare roughly 10% general‑fund reductions in year one and larger cuts in year two; DPH staff said they will prioritize core public‑health and COVID response work.
Greg Wagner, the Department of Public Health's director of finance, told the Health Commission on May 19 that the city's interim budget process will be extended to allow departments time to revise spending plans after COVID‑19 damaged municipal revenues. "The mayor's office is going to submit a placeholder budget on June 1 and then an August 1 balanced budget," Wagner said, describing an additional two months to rebalance around a new financial reality.
Wagner said early March estimates put the two‑year hit to city revenues between $1.1 billion and $1.7 billion, and the May projection is at or slightly above the top of that range. He described guidance from…
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