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Budget committee forwards measures to curb layoffs as city and unions haggle over new revenue
Summary
The San Francisco Budget & Finance Committee voted to send supplemental budget items to the full Board and continued two restoration items after lengthy discussion about layoffs, bumping into school positions, and uncertain state Medi‑Cal revenue. Public testimony drew dozens urging restoration of CNAs and school secretaries.
The City and County of San Francisco’s Budget and Finance Committee on Nov. 4 advanced a package of midyear budget measures aimed at reducing imminent layoffs in the Department of Public Health and other services, and continued detailed consideration of two supplemental items restoring clerical and nursing positions.
Chair Supervisor John Avalos opened the meeting with a description of wide midyear impacts across the city — “hundreds of layoffs” concentrated in public health and cascading into schools and other departments — and introduced amendments to two ordinances (Items 4 and 5) to restore some certified nursing assistant (CNA) and clerical positions beginning Jan. 1, 2010.
The mayor’s budget director, Greg Wagner, briefed the panel on the administration’s approach to anticipated state budget cuts and how the city proposes to close its local gap. Wagner said the controller’s initial estimate of state-related damage to the general fund was about $26.5 million. The adopted budget set aside $18.0 million in reserve, leaving an $8.5 million shortfall; later adjustments and receipts reduced the immediate gap to roughly $2.25 million, Wagner said. Proposed remedies include drawing down about $300,000 of additional medical revenue, declining to backfill roughly $1.1 million in a Prop. 99 pass‑through for emergency rooms, and backfilling most Medi‑Cal drug program cuts (about 81 percent), he said.
Committee budget analyst (Mr. Rose) recommended one narrow change to a sheriff’s request — reducing a supplemental ask from $500,000 to $350,000 and returning $150,000 to the general reserve — and urged approval of the ordinance as amended.
A central point of the session was whether new state revenue tied to recently passed bills (AB 1383 and AB 188) could be scored to avoid layoffs. Greg Sass, chief finance officer for the Department of Public Health, told the committee the two bills create a quality‑improvement fee mechanism that could, if approved by federal authorities and fully implemented, generate as much as about $30 million in an annual 12‑month period for public hospitals; he warned the effective date and timing remain uncertain because the state must negotiate a state plan amendment with CMS. Controller Ben Rosenfield cautioned that year‑end close remains in progress and that citywide offsets in other departments make it unlikely the city will see a large, immediate surplus beyond the $95 million carryforward the adopted budget assumed.
Supervisor David Campos raised a procedural objection: he said he had been designated to sit in for an absent permanent committee member but that the Board President had not completed the paperwork, leaving him unable to vote. Campos said the absence of his recorded vote could block items unless the two permanent members voted unanimously.
Human Resources Director Micky Callahan described ongoing “bumping” and internal placement work with SEIU to preserve jobs where possible. DHR and the mayor’s office said they have an internal job placement committee and have been meeting with SEIU weekly; the administration said it is working in good faith to preserve positions and explore new revenue sources.
Public comment drew a long line of speakers representing nurses, CNAs, clerks, parents, principals and students. Testimony emphasized the local role of school secretaries and clerical staff, bilingual skills that cannot be quickly replaced, and the disproportionate impact on women and people of color. Speakers included school principals and dozens of affected employees who described duties ranging from billing and patient triage to language translation and student support.
After discussion, the committee moved Items 2 and 3 (the ordinances to add and delete FTEs and related appropriations) to the full Board with a recommendation. Items 4 and 5 (the supplemental appropriations and conversions for patient care assistant to CNA and clerical restorations) were continued to the next Budget & Finance meeting so the chair, mayor’s office and unions could continue negotiations and the committee could review the proposed amendments.
What’s next: the Board will receive the forwarded ordinances for a vote; the committee requested rapid follow‑up on the potential timing and scoring of any AB 1383/AB 188 revenue and on DHR’s bumping analysis so supervisors and the public can assess how many layoffs are likely to be averted.
