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Hundreds of callers demand steep cuts to SFPD as Budget Committee hears marathon public comment
Summary
Residents, service providers and health workers urged the Board's Budget & Appropriations Committee to cut San Francisco Police Department and sheriff spending sharply and redirect funds to housing, health, child care and community services; committee continued budget items to Aug. 26.
Hundreds of San Franciscans used a single, marathon Budget & Appropriations Committee meeting on Aug. 24 to press supervisors to sharply reduce police and sheriff spending and reinvest the money in housing, health care, child care and community programs.
Public commenters repeatedly called to “defund, disarm, and disband the SFPD and Sheriff’s Department,” asking the board to cancel planned police‑academy classes, cut overtime and lay off officers rather than applying budget reductions mainly to other city departments. Sarah Lund, a District 5 caller, summarized a frequent demand: “We need to reduce community interactions with police, fire SFPD officers and invest in housing, healthcare and education.”
The hearing produced no final budget vote. Committee members accepted a motion to continue items 1 and 2 to the Aug. 26 Budget & Appropriations meeting instead of adopting a spending plan; the continuance was approved by roll call. The committee’s agenda for the two items was the two‑year budget/appropriation ordinance and the annual salary ordinance for FY 2020–22.
Why it mattered: Speakers linked policing to racialized harm and argued that public safety is better achieved by funding housing subsidies, mental‑health services, violence‑prevention programs, and community‑led alternatives to armed response. Health workers and hospital staff said law‑enforcement presence in hospitals causes trauma for patients; advocates for trans and LGBTQ communities urged continued funding for targeted shelters and medical providers instead of sheriff security at clinics.
What supervisors heard: Testimony came from faith groups, child‑care advocates, neighborhood nonprofits, city employees and union representatives. Several speakers urged drawing on the city’s reserves rather than imposing wage cuts and layoffs on essential city workers; unions said their members have previously deferred pay increases to help the city balance its books.
Next steps: The committee recessed and continued deliberations to its Aug. 26 meeting. No appropriation or salary ordinance was adopted on Aug. 24; supervisors will again face whether to accept Mayor Breed’s proposal or make deeper cuts to law‑enforcement budgets.
Ending: The public‑comment session closed after more than a day of testimony; the budget will return to committee on Aug. 26 for further consideration.
