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San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Mayor Lurie wants to close S.F. budget deficit by cutting roughly 1,400 city jobs
Mayor Daniel Lurie plans to close San Francisco's massive budget deficit by slashing about 1,400 city jobs and eliminating about $100 million in grant and contract spending. The vast majority of the positions that Lurie seeks to cut in his first two-year budget proposal, which he was set to unveil Friday, are vacant. But as many as 150 are filled. Some of the filled jobs are expected to be lost through retirement and attrition while some would be eliminated outright under the mayor's proposal. However, it remains unclear how many or exactly which departments will see job cuts. Lurie is also seeking to significantly reduce City Hall's spending on contracts and grants, aiming to cut $100 million in the second fiscal year. The mayor's goal was to bring city contracting closer to pre-pandemic levels, adjusted for inflation. Lurie's spending proposal will now head to the Board of Supervisors' Budget and Appropriations Committee, which is set to review and revise his plan in June. The full board must approve the budget in time for Lurie to sign by Aug. 1. News of the job cuts was first reported by the San Francisco Standard. The mayor's proposal is an attempt to close a roughly $800 million two-year budget gap as San Francisco's government expenses rise faster than its projected tax revenue, which is suffering partly due to the city's struggling downtown and sluggish tourism. Lurie sought to rely less on temporary solutions to close the budget gap, as the city had done in prior years. But the city still plans to use $40 million in one-time funds for costs such as capital improvements and the purchasing of necessary equipment. The mayor's office is also planning to set aside $400 million in a reserve fund to prepare for cuts in state and federal grants to the city. Right now, the city gets about $2 billion from the federal government, according to the San Francisco Controller's Office. Some departments, like the city's human services agencies and homelessness department, rely heavily on federal funds. Lurie told the Chronicle in a statement that his budget focused on 'spending only the money we have' and 'prioritizing core services so we can do the basics well.' 'I promised San Franciscans accountable leadership in City Hall, and I am accountable for delivering a budget that tackles our structural deficit and puts our city on track for a strong recovery,' Lurie said in the statement. 'Even facing significant uncertainty at the state and federal levels, we are building a budget that will drive San Francisco's comeback.' The mayor's office previously told departments to plan for 15% cuts in the coming fiscal year, and Lurie's budget director in April instructed city agencies to dig deeper after some didn't comply with those instructions. Many departments will still see their overall spending increase because of salary growth guaranteed by union contracts. Lurie already decided that he wouldn't cut funding for police officers, prosecutors and other front-line public safety workers despite the budget constraints. He is also seeking to overhaul how the city spends money from a tax to fund homeless services that was approved by voters nearly seven years ago. Critics of the city government's spending have often complained that its massive budget isn't delivering results for San Francisco's residents, who have long expressed concerns about widespread homelessness, open-air drug scenes and empty storefronts. Lurie, in the past, admitted that the city isn't getting what it pays for: He wrote that San Francisco 'should have unparalleled levels of coordinated service delivery and collaboration,' given its large budget and workforce. Lurie's proposed budget cuts are reminiscent of similar reductions made by then-Mayor Gavin Newsom during the height of the Great Recession. Newsom cut more than 1,600 jobs and contracted out for hundreds more in his 2009-2010 and 2010-2011 budgets. Theresa Rutherford, president of SEIU Local 1021 and a 20-year city employee, expressed frustration at the mayor's budget cuts. "We are deeply disappointed that the mayor has chosen to cut crucial public services that San Francisco residents and small businesses rely on, rather than working with city workers on the pathway forward that we laid out five months ago,' Rutherford said. Public sector unions like the SEIU have been pushing for Lurie to pressure Airbnb to drop its request for a refund on about $120 million in previously paid business taxes the company said it was overcharged for. Unions say that Airbnb and other companies are not paying their fair share, and that money the city has held in reserve for business tax litigation could be used to avoid deep budget cuts. 'Corporations that profit off our city's workforce and infrastructure are trying to avoid paying their fair share of taxes, and San Franciscans are paying the price,' Rutherford said. Board of Supervisors budget and appropriations chairwoman Connie Chan told the Chronicle that she was not surprised by the mayor's proposed cuts, saying that she knew the next month would see 'difficult' negotiations. In June, Chan and the Board of Supervisors will hear from departments about their proposed budgets and identify potential savings outside of the mayor's proposal. 'As I've indicated before, there are no good options,' Chan said. 'We're going through this budget to prioritize people being housed, people being fed and cared for.' Chan said she and the mayor 'don't see eye to eye' on some things, but they are aligned in prioritizing public safety and clean streets and on setting aside funds to deal with a potential decrease in federal money. 'We know the (reserves) are not going to be enough,' she said. 'These are things we're talking about and need to be prepared for. So then we're looking at our city attorney David Chiu to continue to fight for the city and guard our resources during this critical moment.'
San Francisco Chronicle
17-05-2025
- Politics
- San Francisco Chronicle
SoCal lawyer with Benghazi inquiry background tapped for U.S. attorney in S.F.
Craig Missakian, a Southern California attorney and former prosecutor and congressional investigator, has been nominated by President Donald Trump as U.S. attorney in San Francisco, the chief federal prosecutor in Northern California. Missakian confirmed his selection Friday, which was first reported by the San Francisco Standard, but said he could not make any public statements until May 27, when he is due to be sworn into office. The office prosecutes federal cases in the Northern District of California, which includes San Francisco, Alameda, Contra Costa and 11 other coastal counties extending to the Oregon border. President Joe Biden's last appointee as U.S. attorney, Ismail Ramsey, served from March 2023 until February, when he was replaced by his former top aide, Patrick Robbins, who now serves as acting U.S. attorney. Missakian, a lawyer since 1986, was a federal prosecutor in Southern California from 2001 to 2010. After spending the next four years as a real estate attorney, he was hired by the House of Representatives in 2014 as a lead counsel for the committee investigating the 2012 attack by Islamic militants on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, Libya, that killed four people, including J. Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya. Ahmed Abu Khatallah, a Libyan convicted of helping lead the attack, was sentenced to 28 years in prison. The Republican-led House committee found that U.S. military forces, the CIA and the State Department had failed to adequately protect the embassy, but found no evidence of wrongdoing by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Missakian finished his congressional work in December 2016 and has practiced law in Pasadena since then.
Daily Mail
02-05-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
California official's insane spending spree with insurance execs at the state's fanciest restaurants while LA burned
California 's insurance commissioner was wined and dined by an insurance boss at one of Los Angeles ' fanciest restaurants as the city burned beneath them. Entire communities spent weeks on edge in January, evacuated from their homes and hunkering down in shelters or with loved ones, unsure if their homes had been razed during unrelenting wildfires which killed 30 and destroyed unimaginable swathes of land. The perverse reality was that the 'lucky ones' were those wracked with fear about whether their insurers would ever pay out for any damage they faced. Others were part of the unfortunate cluster whose insurance premiums had spiked to such extortionate levels that they'd had to cancel their policies, or had simply been told one day by their provider that they were no longer covered. Meanwhile the man tasked with holding insurance firms to account, Ricardo Lara, was feasting on sea urchin, lobster salpicón, a rack of lamb and two bottles of Leirana Albariño with Raul Vargas, CEO of the Farmers Insurance Group. On January 15, the pair had a table at San Laurel, the brainchild of famed chef José Andrés which boasts glittering and sprawling views of Los Angeles. That same day, first responders were combing through the devastation of the Palisades fire searching for the charred remains of residents in the wreckage, while firefighters were still battling to get the Eaton fire under control. An investigation by the San Francisco Standard accuses Lara of blowing $30,000 of money allocated to his campaign on fancy restaurants and wining and dining. During the January 15 dinner, the total bill came to $697, including tip. On that occasion, Lara paid $234 of the bill, charging it to a campaign committee balance created two years prior to fund a run for lieutenant governor which never materialized. The rest of the tab was picked up by Vargas, whose company is California's second largest home insurer. Throughout his term, Lara has been repeatedly accused of cozying up to the insurance industry which he is mandated to police. As part of his elected role, Lara sets rates in California and is responsible for ensuring a healthy and competitive insurance market. California is gripped by an insurance crisis as insurers increasingly turn their backs on areas they now deem high risk for wildfires and natural disasters. From 2020 to 2022, insurance companies chose not to renew 2.8million policies f or homeowners across the state. This included 531,000 in Los Angeles County, which was decimated by the wildfires. Just months after he took office in 2019, he was forced to issue an apology after it emerged he had taken tens of thousands of dollars in campaign donations from parties with interests in the insurance sphere. He said he was 'deeply sorry' for his actions and vowed to no longer engage with the industry for support. In addition to his latest dinner, last year Lara charged two meal bills at swanky Italian restaurant Piatti to his campaign fund. One of the checks, from April 17 2024, was for more than $1,000. He described the dinner as a 'campaign strategy meeting' with eight diners. Between them, they ordered seven cocktails, eight glasses of wine, a bottle of Honis sauvignon blanc and almost half the food items on the dinner menu, including steaks, meatballs, olives and various desserts. And in 2023, he held four separate meetings at Baar Baar, a ritzy Indian restaurant in Los Angeles. On one of these visits, he and unnamed guests dined over a bottle of Cobb riesling, two more glasses of wine, lamb keema hyderabadi, shrimp ghee roast, and beef short ribs. Meanwhile on another, he and a guest ordered three Slumdog Millionaire cocktails, along with other drinks. Consumer Watchdog advocacy group executive director Carmen Balber told the publication Lara's dinner with Vargas was 'disappointing' given his earlier apology. 'It sounds like he's mixing regulation and politics once more. Maybe ''shocker'' is the wrong word, but it's disappointing. And if this wasn't a campaign meeting, then what is this campaign committee? Nothing more than a slush fund.' Beyond the fancy restaurants, Lara is also facing intense criticism for his travel schedule and for policies which are set to benefit insurers and drive up premiums by up to 50 percent. The first Senate committee hearing on insurance in the wake of the fires was held on March 12, 2025. Lara did not attend, according to an investigation conducted by ABC. Instead, he traveled to Bermuda to attend a conference where he delivered a 15-minute speech. The Senate Insurance Committee holds between two and three crucial hearings a year, and the report determined that in his six year term so far, Lara has missed several to travel interstate or internationally. A spokesperson for his office countered the criticism, insisting: 'Commissioner Lara's job is to ensure that California consumers have real choices - not just last resorts. 'This involves going over the heads of insurance companies and engaging directly with the global reinsurance groups that support them. Nearly 40% of the world's reinsurance companies are based in Bermuda, paying out trillions of dollars in claims - including those for wildfires.' 'He is working to retain insurance companies in the market and attract those that have left.'
NBC News
28-04-2025
- Automotive
- NBC News
San Francisco tennis coach says a Waymo drove off with pricey equipment
A San Francisco passenger claims a Waymo driverless taxi drove off with his expensive tennis equipment inside. More than two months later, he still has no idea where his possessions went. As first reported by the San Francisco Standard, the passenger is filing a small claims suit against the company. Dan Linley lives in lower Nob Hill and spends his days going back and forth between his work as a high school tennis coach and coaching tennis lessons. 'I've been doing it 30 years now, it's how I make my living,' Linley said. Like many San Franciscans, he doesn't have a car. Lately, he's been getting around the city by riding Waymo driverless taxis. On February 7, at around 5:30 p.m., Linley said the Waymo he was riding in dropped him off at Golden Gate Park, but the trunk, which was filled with his expensive tennis equipment, didn't open. Waymo said in an online forum that once riders reach their destination, the trunk will automatically open when the rider exits the vehicle. But Linley said that didn't happen on this occasion. Having used the Waymo app before, Linley knows a button in the app can allow passengers to open the trunk. But this time, Linley said there was no option to open the trunk through the app, and the trunk wasn't opening on its own. 'So I called customer service to see if someone could open the car remotely for me,' Linley recalled. 'A guy picked up the phone, he was very very nice, and in the middle of him trying to open up the trunk, the car drove away.' 'And I'm like, 'you know the car is driving away, and I have a picture of it, I don't know what you want me to do'' Linley said. 'He was very calm and very nice and he goes, 'Well I'll file a lost and found report for you.'' Linley recalled that his items were easy to see through the trunk window, so he figured Waymo would have no difficulty finding them. He said that in the trunk of that vehicle was a large duffel bag full of tennis balls, a portable teaching cart, a couple of 'ball hoppers,' his personal tennis racket, and other gear. He added that not only is the missing gear pricey, but he is losing money because he can't teach lessons without it. Linley said for the past two months, he has been asking Waymo to return his belongings or reimburse him. But he said neither has happened, despite correspondence with multiple Waymo agents. This week, Linley filed a small claims suit against Waymo, seeking $12,500 in damages. He said that amount includes both the value of the missing equipment and the revenue he's lost from not being able to teach lessons. Linley said he currently has a list of more than 20 people who are requesting lessons with him, but he doesn't have the gear to help them. Waymo declined NBC Bay Area's request for an interview, but a spokesperson said in a statement, 'Waymo is in touch with the individual and working to resolve the claim. Waymo's Support Team operates with the goal of reuniting riders and their forgotten items.' 'They're not forgotten,' Linley said of his possessions. 'They were lost, not of my accord, they were not lost by me, they were taken by the car,' he insisted. Linley is frustrated and perplexed about where his items might have gone. He said one Waymo representative he contacted told him the company was still investigating his case. 'I'm like, 'I don't know what there is to investigate. Are you dusting for prints? Are you calling the FBI? What is there to investigate? Find the stuff!'' Linley said. He added that this whole experience is making him reconsider whether to use Waymo going forward. For the time being, he has advice for other riders: 'I would say keep your stuff in the back seat, that's what I would recommend.'
Spectator
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Spectator
What is ‘based' based on?
'Is it connected to plant-based?' asked my husband, as though we were playing Twenty Questions. 'Anything to do with Homebase, drum and bass, Prisoners' Base?' I was trying to interest him in the 21st-century meaning of based, of which he had never heard. The New York Times never stops trying to give a new etymology for based, according to Jeff Bercovici, who is co-head of the newsroom of the San Francisco Standard. His actual words were 'trying to retcon the etymology', but I didn't know that retcon means to give 'retroactive continuity' to a thing, as Dallas did by saying that Bobby Ewing's death was just a dream. On Twitter the journalist quoted an example of the retconned etymology, provided last year by a guest columnist of the New York Times, Stephen Marche: 'My favourite new slang word is based – short for 'based in fact' or 'based in reality'.' It is short for no such thing. Unlikely as it might seem, the derivation is from freebase, cocaine chemically prepared for inhalation, which became popular in California in the 1970s. A name for a freebase addict was basehead (like crackhead). Along came a rapper called Lil B. In 2010 he told Complex, a website for people interested in Boosie Badazz, Waka Flocka Flame and clothing from Weekend Offender: 'When I was younger, based was a negative term that meant like 'dopehead', or 'basehead'. People used to make fun of me. They was like, 'You're based'.' So Lil B adopted an alter ego: the Based God. To be based was 'Not being scared of what people think about you. Not being afraid to do what you wanna do. Being positive'. From there, based was picked up as a word of approval on the internet, notably on 4chan, a website on parts of which the alt right lurked.
