Newsom Plays Politics With the Health Department’s BudgetPaul Hogarthbyline‚ Jun. 06‚ 2007On May 22nd, Gavin Newsom told members of SEIU Local 1021 (i.e., City workers and non-profits who contract with the City) that they will be “pleased” with the upcoming budget. He also said that the City will avoid outsourcing jobs, “even if it’s going to cost us more money.” But the Mayor’s proposed budget includes $6.9 million in cuts to the Health Department, and eliminates or reduces funding for 17 non-profits who provide services for low-income clients. It would also outsource emergency and inpatient psychiatric services and close down the Worker’s Comp Clinic at S.F. General Hospital. These cuts barely represent more than one tenth of one percent of a six billion dollar budget. Everyone expects that the Board of Supervisors will restore these cuts after hearing public testimony on June 19th. But it will also force non-profits to spend time at City Hall fighting to save their jobs when they could be using that time to provide vital services. It’s a “dog-and-pony” show that has happened before, and it keeps the Supervisors busy listening to hours of public comment when they could be tackling other parts of the budget. Fortunately, Chris Daly and Tom Ammiano have already taken the pro-active step to restore some of these cuts. |