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Dear Friends:
This year, the Budget Committee faced a daunting task - the Mayor presented us with a $6.6 billion city budget that cut recreation and park  services, mental health services, senior programs, health and human services, and community resources for our youth and families. With our country in recession, our state facing a $26 billion deficit, and the foreclosure crisis cutting our city's revenue, San Francisco was facing the worst budget year in history. Meanwhile, there has been an increased demand on City services from families suffering the brunt of the financial crisis, facing lay-offs, and losing their homes.
Despite these challenges, the Budget Committee passed a balanced city budget that did not rely on any new taxes and restored $43 million for vital programs and services for those in greatest need.
After 3 months and over 200 hours of public testimony from hundreds of San Franciscans, we began the monumental task of seeking additional cost savings and working with City departments to help share the pain and make sure that some kind of public safety net remained in place.
In District 11, this meant that we were able to restore programs and services at the OMI Family Resource Center, IT Bookman, Out of Site Youth Arts Center, OMI/Excelsior Beacon Center, Safe Haven Services, Ingleside Community Center Afterschool Program, employment services at the Filipino Community Center, the Safety Network, the Geneva Car Barn and Power House, and staffing at some rec. centers. We were also able to provide some funding for neighborhood initiatives such as the Naples Green project, the Athens Avalon Street Park Project, the Geneva Mini strip, and the Crocker Amazon Park Tennis and Bocce Ball Courts.
Despite the many mental health, violence prevention, family support, homeless and human service programs we were able to restore, this is not a perfect budget. Although we may have passed a balanced budget, this is just the eye of the storm. In this next year, as the state's financial crisis worsens, we will be facing more layoffs and greater reduction of services. In order to stave off the worst of these cuts, we willhave to find ways to generate additional revenue. There are several options, including gross receipts, parcel, and/or sales taxes, and an alcohol mitigation fee that we must pursue because cuts alone will not balance our future budgets.
Since the beginning of the budget process, I have stressed the need for a share the pain budget where all City departments give back so that we can maintain a full range of vital City services. For future years, we will need more cooperation on the budget process from all stakeholders so that we are not counting on getting a few big unions to reach a balanced budget, but on getting some concessions from all City departments, agencies, and unions.
I am proud of the work we have done on the Budget Committee to strike a balance with the Mayor's office to restore the programs and services that our residents depend on without threatening public safety. I am also thankful for all the outreach and support from District 11 and look forward to working with you in the months and years ahead.
Yours truly,
JOHN AVALOS
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