SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) -- Almost every public health program threatened with cuts because of San Francisco’s spending gap survived the budget crisis intact, and the total money allocated for the Department of Public Health actually grew to $1.4 billion.
San Francisco started out the year projecting a deficit of over $500 million. There were hundreds of layoffs. Muni fares skyrocketed. The final spending plan emerged after a week of tense negotiations between Mayor Gavin Newsom and the Board of Supervisors.
“Of the 13 budgets I’ve done, this was the most difficult,” said the director of the Department of Public Health, Dr. Mitch Katz.
KCBS' Barbara Taylor reports
The first proposal dealt a hard, $12-million blow to the Department of Public Health. In particular, services for the mentally ill and substance abuse problems would have suffered.
“Had the cuts gone forward, out patient treatment programs provided” by several agencies, Katz said, “would have had to close their programs down.”
There are still some minor cuts that will leave some positions at city run clinics vacant when staff leave.
The supervisors are expected to approve the new $6.6 billion budget next week.
(jro)
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