June 9, 2008
Protesting Mayor Newsom's Shiny New Budget
Speaking of our fine mayor, Newsom's recently released budget plan, it seems, will "terminate critical health and human services, while pumping up salaries for police by 25% and adding many new high paid patronage positions into his own administration," at least according to the folks over at something called the People's Budget Collaborative, brought to you by the loopy kids at the Coalition on Homelessness. They claim the following cuts will happen. Ahem:
1) Closure Ella Hill Hutch shelter serving up to 100 people every night in the Western Addition.2) Closure of Caduceus Outreach Services, a mental health treatment and wrap around support program for severely disabled homeless adults with co-existing addictive disorders.
3) Almost total elimination (66% cut) of SRO Families United program for families with dependent children living in hotels.
4) Cut of 22% to residential substance abuse and mental health treatment programs budgets.
a. Removal of support from Conard supportive housing program for severe psychiatric disabilities.
b. Closure of Cortland Acute Diversion Unit for individuals in psychiatric crisis.
c. Loss of 12 out of 24 community based medically supported detox beds.
d. Many more residential cuts yet to be determined.
5) Cut of 30% to all outpatient substance abuse and mental health treatment
6) Almost total elimination of STOP treatment program.
7) 1,600 people lose psychiatric treatment through Private Provider Network.
8) Closure of Tenderloin Health, homeless multi-service center in the Tenderloin serving over 300 people a day, 16,000 unduplicated people a year. Program provides health services, HIV case management, HIV prevention, mental health services, harm reduction work, improving quality of life by getting people out of rain, providing hygiene kits, bathrooms, snacks, crisis intervention, 30, 000 shelter reservations a year.
Naturally, they're all kinds of mad, so they're planning a protest over at Newsom's home at the Bellaire Tower building in Russian Hill this Wednesday. (For more info, go here.) This impresses us only because it's not happening on Valencia Street or Dolores Park, hot spots for saccharine-y public outcries that have little to no effect. So... there you go.
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Sounds like opportunities for non-profits to learn how to fundraise.
and you can take the Cable Car there too...be really san francisco-y...
Judging by the number of crazy junkies staggering around my neighborhood already, the substance abuse & mental health centers aren't doing a good job with the funds they already apparently mismanage.
...or they're already underfunded, and you're about to see that number double. But hey-- they usually stick to one side of the street, so you can just cross and go around. Although if they're sleeping or passed out, I find it easier to just step over.
Bravo, Gavin Newsom. Bravo.
The real loss in the budget is the funding for Tenderloin Health drop-in center. It serves as a crucial lifeline for homeless clients to connect to services throughout the city (most importantly health and shelter).
And just to connect the dots for you guys living in the Mission around 16th and Valencia and in West SOMA - closure of Tenderloin Health drop-in center is a closure of one of the five sites that make shelter reservations for the city. The other sites, of relevance to you (and me), are on 16th and Capp, and 150 Otis (Duboce and Mission).
oh, what a shame. the city and the state are broke. funding to pay for drugs for folks who say they just need to get high another couple of dozen times to get sober are gone.
fuck you all!
If Gavin had just managed the budget a little better, we wouldn't be in this situation. If the Board of Supervisors had exercised some judgment, we wouldn't be in this situation.
No one is winning any awards here. Chris Daly was in fact, correct when he critiqued the budget. Too bad his lack of ability when it comes to articulating it quickly devloved into a coke abuse claim on the Mayor which the Mayor and his many folks were able to blow off as "negative politics."
Don't matter if you're right, kids you gotta be articulate. We could have dodged most of this budget bomb last year and while everyone would not be pooping marshmallows and singing kumbaya, you would also not have to watch big pay for bureaucrats while money for things we can use, like a better MUNI or something, get cut.
Ah well. San Franciscans have long said they like it like that, and like paying a lot of taxes for bad services. Keep it up, kiddies!
Chris might have a bit more luck if he circulated a new budget "endorsed by Gavin Newsom". Maybe everyone would vote for it before they read the fine print.
Loopy kids? Loopy kids? We ain't no loopy kids! We're just cranky. Cranky & old.
Also, 'claim' is a little weird: The City's pretty open about the cuts. What is & isn't being cut isn't debated. What's debated is what should & shouldn't be.
Lastly, for those who think the mental health & addiction treatment services are somehow doing a poor job, keep in mind that there are long, long waiting lists for most of these services: Most people who'd like to be getting these kinds of services aren't. Which means, if you see people using or acting loopy in your neighbourhood, there's a derned good chance they're not in mental health or substance abuse programs. Tho they might be: Addiction's hard to kick (else programs wouldn't be necessary, right?), so there's certainly some degree of failure.
How about cutting some of his staff? Anybody with PR responsibilities should not be on the tax payer dime. There's simply no justification for that.