A crowd was growing in front of the entrance to Room 200 in City Hall — San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s office. Anya Worley-Ziegmann, the coordinator for the People’s Budget Coalition, addressed the throngs that stretched both ways down the halls, and ignited them into a booming chant.
“We want the mayor!” they yelled, echoing through the building. But Lurie’s door remained shut, and the mayor did not emerge.
Guest speakers took turns decrying Lurie’s proposed budget cuts. I saw more than a hundred activists, organizers, and concerned citizens march around the second floor, belting out, “No one left behind this time!” and “Our city, our budget!” They continued onto the Grand Staircase, where they paused but kept projecting their voices in unison.
Their hope, Worley-Ziegmann and others said, was that the June 18 display of “people power” would influence the Board of Supervisors to stand against the mayor’s budget.
“We expect them to know that they have no choice,” Worley-Ziegmann said. “They have to stand up, or they will face the people. So even to our friends on the board, now is the time to find a spine. … The community has [their] back in a way that I think they’ve never seen before. So I hope it encourages them.”
It was the latest in a series of political actions intended to shift the conversation about how officials should close City Hall’s projected two-year deficit of $642 million.
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On June 1, Lurie proposed a budget that would reduce funding to many service providers, threatening to pare back or eliminate programs that help the city’s most vulnerable populations. The Board of Supervisors has the rest of June to adjust that budget. More than a dozen organizations based in or serving the Tenderloin, where many argue that services are needed most, face an estimated $3.8 million in combined cuts, though that could be an under-estimate.
Meanwhile, as the demonstrators pointed out, salaries of police officers and firefighters are set to increase by 14% over the next four years.
“They find the money for the things that are important to them,” Worley-Ziegmann said. “It sort of peels away this ruse that it’s about the deficit or that it’s a numbers game. It’s not true.”
The march through City Hall capped the day’s events, coordinated by the People’s Budget Coalition and intended to demonstrate the value of what the organizations facing cuts bring to their communities.
It had begun that morning, at Civic Center Plaza, where people gathered to enjoy poetry from Youth Speaks, traditional tribal dances from the American Indian Cultural Center, and drag shows by performers Per Sia and Lady Adjacent. Advocates from Acción Latina were also there, along with people from HIV Advocacy Network Poets and Free City.
The Free City program gives city residents free tuition at City College of San Francisco. Speakers emphasized the diversity of CCSF students by repeatedly telling the crowd in unison, “The heartbeat of City College is ——,” after which someone would finish the sentence with statements like “a single mother” or “worker.” One speaker, Sabrina Hall, summed up the sentiments of many of the organizations and service providers present:
“You aren’t just cutting dollars, you’re cutting futures.”
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The pre-march festivities concluded with a bit of satirical political theater. Elderly community members dressed as characters from The Wizard of Oz held signs urging Mayor Lurie to “Have a heart,” “Show some courage,” and “Use your brain.” After leading a sing-along, the Wizard of Oz crew was shooed away by an actor portraying Lurie’s security guard.
The faux mayor, played by battle rapper Frak, was met with a mix of boos and jeers from the crowd. He went on to give a speech while holding up a large cardboard smartphone, mocking the social media presence that Lurie has become known for. Frak spoke to the crowd in front of a set of oversized building blocks labeled “billionaire agenda.” Following the speech, Godzilla arrived to knock over the billionaire agenda, which crowd members then reconstructed to spell out “people’s budget.” From there, organizers led the march into City Hall.
Erik Greenfrost, the executive director of Senior and Disability Action, believes the budget cuts San Francisco service providers face are simply turning the problems of today into problems of tomorrow. “Organizations have been cut up and called duplicative; they’ve been called unnecessary. And we just strongly disagree,” Greenfrost said. “It all helps prevent future crises. It all helps prevent future funding needs.”
Greenfrost said that funding service providers like his, which dedicate resources to ensuring people are housed, is a cheaper option for the city than addressing the likely increase in homelessness should they be defunded.
If the cuts to Tenderloin organizations are approved, residents throughout the city will be affected, according to community organizer Curtis Bradford.
“You cut services in the Tenderloin, the results are going to show up on the streets in other neighborhoods. You’re going to have other constituents calling supervisors saying, ‘Hey, why are we seeing more homeless folks on the streets?’ … Because you cut the services where they need them the most,” Bradford said. “The Tenderloin is the front line of the social safety net in San Francisco.”
Later that day, after the group’s march through City Hall, they gathered on the building’s front steps to shout one final message:
“We will be back!”
Organizers intend to keep the pressure up. Next, they’ll try to increase turnout to the Board of Supervisors’ key meetings next week: Public Comment Day, on Wednesday, June 24; and the day of final deliberations, June 25, which includes “add-back night.”
Public Comment Day is dedicated to constituent input on the budget. If you’d like to speak to city supervisors that day, go to City Hall’s Legislative Chamber, in Room 250, at 10 a.m. on June 24. Be prepared to stand in line for a long time, as many people are expected to weigh in. Each person may speak for one minute. You can also email your comment to monique.crayton@sfgov.org.
The day of final budget deliberations is June 25. It begins at 10 a.m., in City Hall’s Room 250, and it can last all day and late into the night, which has earned it the name “add-back night.” City supervisors go through San Francisco’s budget line-by-line and make adjustments, moving funds around. It’s the last chance for advocates to make their case to legislative staff to put money back into threatened programs. If you show up, find the seasoned budget organizers (like folks from the People’s Budget Coalition) and take your cues from them on how to most effectively lobby legislators on this day.
Chad is a journalist currently studying at San Francisco State University. He is a lifelong Giants fan and an avid vinyl record collector. He can be reached at chadchurch1015[at]gmail[dot]com.
The message at the rally was clear. “Mayor Lurie: ‘Let’s go, San Francisco,’ but please don’t leave us behind!” said one speaker, from an organization facing cuts.
