From Fog City News Journal
June 29, 2009
LGBT Activists Protest Newsom’s Budget,
Stage Pride Die-In
Protestors attempt to draw attention to Mayor Gavin Newsom’s budget cuts
which includes over $121 million in cuts to health and human services.
Photos by Luke Thomas
From Direct Action to Stop the Cuts, Coalition for Budget Justice, Coalition to Save Public Health
June 28, 2009
SAN FRANCISCO – On the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots, LGBT activists and SF Pride-at-Work held a die-in at the San Francisco Gay Pride Parade today in front of Mayor Gavin Newsom’s float to protest his budget cuts to public health. Protestors lay down in front of the Mayor’s float to symbolize deaths that will follow from his defunding of HIV/AIDS services. The action was reminiscent of the ACT UP die-in’s of the 1980’s and 90’s which used civil disobedience to urge a co-coordinated response to fight the AIDS epidemic.
During the protest, Mayor Newsom’s vehicle attempted to plow through the protestors who held the space as he exited and walked down Market Street. The mayor and a small group of supporters attempted to dodge the protestors who performed several die-ins while chanting, “Newsom’s cuts are killing us.”
“Gavin and Arnold: There’s no Pride in your budget.”
2009: Silence Still Equals Death
June 25, 2009
Question: What does San Francisco’s Democratic Mayor and California’s Republican Governor have in common?
Answer: They just signed death warrants for people with AIDS and HIV.
Mayor’s budget: 2009-10 budget proposals
HIV Health Services: $370,780 reduction.
10% reduction in HIV/AIDS Housing Subsidy Funding: $559,360 (increases rent contribution of tenant).
HIV Prevention reduction: $289,049.
HIV benefit counseling and advocacy: $230,133. 3,192 clients affected.
HIV Prevention – outreach and testing contract reductions: $283,332.
(4,397 clients affected).
Mid-year HIV/AIDS prevention/testing/education/risk reduction cuts of $565,860 eliminated services for 2,048 unduplicated clients.
Governor’s budget proposal HIV/AIDS cuts:
Proposed reduction of the AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) of
$12.3 million in state general funds
Proposed elimination of the Office of AIDS Therapeutic
Monitoring Program (reduction of $8 million in state general funds)
Proposed elimination of Office of AIDS local programs: HIV
Counseling and Testing (reduction of $8.2 million state general funds), Early Intervention Projects (reduction of $7.4 million state general funds), Home and Community-Based Care (reduction of $6.3 million state general funds), Epidemiologic Studies and Surveillance (reduction of $8.6 million state general funds) and Housing (reduction of $1.093 million state general funds)
Proposed elimination of all state general funding for Office of
AIDS/state operations (total reduction of $3.4 million)
Proposed elimination of the HIV Education and Prevention Program
(total reduction of $24.6 million in state general funds)
Bay Guardian’s Take On The Crisis
June 24, 2009
http://www.sfbg.com/blogs/bruce/2009/06/editorial_tear_up_the_budget.html
DAY OF ACTION PLANNING MEETING
June 14, 2009
Want to help plan a day of action to protest cuts to life-saving human services?
Monday June 15th, 2009 5:30PM
134 Golden Gate Ave.
San Francisco
stopthecutsbayarea@gmail.com
June 10th Invest In Us Action.
June 14, 2009
On June 10th, 2009 over 1000 people took over Market Street to protest a City Budget that shutters essential survival services such as HIV prevention, youth employment, eviction defense, and homeless drop-in centers. The same budget also increases the budget for Public Relations Aides to the Mayor (de-facto campaign staff for his Governor’s candidacy) and asks nothing from the Police and Fire Departments in the way of concessions.
As a result, the Board of Supervisors backed a move by Supervisor John Avalos to completely rewrite the Mayor’s budget–possibly freeing up about 80 million dollars to restore these cuts.
S.F. Supervisors redo mayor’s interim budget
Marisa Lagos, Chronicle Staff Writer
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Budget protesters march up Market Street to City Hall. Supervisor Chris Daly addresses the demonstration. Hundreds of demonstrators march towards San Francisco Cit… Andrew Hudson, of San Francisco, holds a sign in protest … More…
San Francisco legislators, in an unprecedented move, tore up and rewrote portions of the mayor’s interim budget Wednesday, moving more than $80 million out of public safety agencies and into health, human services and parks spending.
The move by the Board of Supervisors Budget Committee signals the fights to come over the city’s 2009-10 budget.
The board normally rubber-stamps the interim budget, a placeholder document that ensures city services continue during July, when the new fiscal year begins but the budget has not been completed. But this year, the supervisors’ anger over Mayor Gavin Newsom’s budget priorities – and his characterization of the proposal as “near perfect” – boiled over.
“I disagree with the notion that this is near perfect,” said board president David Chiu. “I cannot support the budget as it is – the mayor chose to prioritize certain areas.”
Supervisor David Campos – who joined Chiu and Supervisor John Avalos in supporting the changes – added that the budget may be perfect “if you’re a wealthy, straight, white male from Pacific Heights.”
It’s not entirely clear how the move will affect the city’s bottom line, but officials said public safety departments will continue to operate as normal in July. However, the mayor’s budget staff said that $80 million is the equivalent of laying off 304 police officers, 153 firefighters and 149 sheriff’s deputies.
If the board enacts the same changes in the budget, widespread layoffs in fire, police and the sheriff’s departments would likely occur.
Presenting his proposed budget on June 1, Newsom praised the $6.6 billion document, which included 1,600 job cuts, as doing “a lot of extraordinary things” including bridging a half-billion-dollar deficit without raising taxes or laying off police officers, firefighters or teachers.
But Chiu said proposed changes to the general fund – the city’s regular spending account – paint a different picture.
He noted that Newsom is proposing 5 to 6 percent increases to the fire, police and sheriff’s department general fund support, while the Recreation and Parks Department and the Department of Public Health face more than 20 percent in general fund cuts. Chiu and Avalos, the budget committee chairman, said the more equitable choice would have been making 7 percent cuts across the board. Newsom has repeatedly said he opposes across-the-board cuts.
“We need a budget that reflects San Francisco values,” Avalos said. “I want to work with (my) colleagues and with the mayor to come up with improvements.”
As hundreds of people stood outside City Hall protesting the mayor’s budget proposal Wednesday, supervisors said they reallocated public safety funds to protect the most vulnerable.Real Deal or No Deal
The full board will vote on the interim budget and send it to the mayor by June 24. Chiu’s office said Newsom cannot veto the document because, by law, he must sign the interim budget by June 30.
Historically, supervisors have made only small changes to the mayor’s budget – less than 1 percent.
And while a spokesman for Newsom didn’t seem fazed by the supervisors’ unusual move, Supervisors Carmen Chu and Bevan Dufty, who voted against the changes, said it distracts from the real upcoming fights.
“Without a little Kabuki theater, it wouldn’t be budget season,” said Nathan Ballard. “The budget is balanced, and we will continue to pay our bills. The supervisors’ action won’t have any affect on that.”This story has been corrected from its original version.
E-mail Marisa Lagos at mlagos@sfchronicle.com.
