SFPD previews FY2026-27 budget with mayor's 15% reduction directive; staffing and overtime remain focal points

SFPD Chief Financial Officer Kimmy Wu on Wednesday presented Part 1 of the department's FY2026-27 budget and said the mayor's office has instructed all departments to identify 15% ongoing general-fund reductions for fiscal years 2026 and 2027.

The presentation outlined a base budget across all funds of $840,700,000, with general-fund operating costs of $723,000,000. Wu said the administration's focus is on core services and eliminating “non-effective, discretionary or redundant service areas,” and that the department should review contracts, nonpersonnel expenses and vacant positions. She added there is a civilian hiring freeze and that layoffs, while not preferred, "may be necessary." (Kimmy Wu, CFO, SFPD.)

Why it matters: The projected reductions come as the department reports persistent staffing shortages and sustained reliance on overtime to cover operations. Wu said the city-funded FY25 baseline counted 3,032.1 funded full-time equivalents (FTEs) including roughly 2,337 sworn and 695.1 civilian positions; SFPD estimated about 1,475 full-duty sworn officers citywide and 56 recruits in training. The department also set a recommended sworn baseline of 2,074, and noted continuing overtime backfill while recruitment and hiring recover.

During questioning, commissioners pressed on the department's use of overtime after an audit flagged internal-control weaknesses. One commissioner cited the audit's finding of a "substantial amount" of overtime tied to control failures; Chief Scott rejected a sweeping characterization that overtime is mostly fraud or abuse and said overtime is driven by higher personnel costs, unfilled positions (he estimated the department is about 500 officers short) and deployments that are not easily reduced, such as tourist-area patrols and targeted operations that have helped reduce car break-ins. (Chief Scott.)

Budget trade-offs and next steps: Wu said vacant positions generate salary savings that are currently used to pay overtime backfill and that the department will return next week with additional detail, including scenarios for eliminating vacancies and how those changes translate into savings. She identified vehicle requests and capital outlay as items the department will seek in its formal submission, and noted the mayor's office will publish the mayor's proposed budget in June followed by Board of Supervisors hearings. The department's official submission deadline to the mayor's office is Feb. 21.

The commission did not take a vote on the presentation; members were invited to provide further feedback and receive one-on-one briefings before the next session.