Community groups and activists delivered 1,500 postcards imploring SF Mayor Daniel Lurie to avoid cutting crucial programs and instead use reserve funds or increase tax revenue to balance the city's budget.

Members from local nonprofits and community groups delivered hundreds of postcards to City Hall Tuesday containing personal messages from residents describing how San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget cuts could affect their lives, as Mission Local reports.

As the city’s deficit grows to a projected $643 million, Lurie is facing mounting criticism from labor unions and community advocates who warn the proposed cuts could eliminate hundreds of jobs and reduce core public services, according to KPIX.

Group members are asking Lurie to reconsider the cuts before he releases his full budget proposal in June, which they say would impact immigrant services, public health programs, disability resources, senior services, and HIV advocacy efforts.

Videos shared by Indivisible SF and SF People’s Budget show community members inside City Hall holding the 1,500 postcards in a long chain along the hallway, while belting out chants including, “Si Se Puede!” and “There Ain’t No Power Like the Power of the People!”  

Lurie has reportedly defended the cuts as necessary to stabilize the city’s finances long term. Mission Local notes that much of San Francisco’s $16 billion budget is already locked into “enterprise departments” like the airport and legally designated funding streams, leaving the mayor with direct control over only a fraction of overall spending.

Per KPIX, city departments were also told to identify roughly $400 million in ongoing cuts, which would eliminate around 500 city positions. As SFist previously reported, 127 city employees were laid off last month.

Labor unions warn that the cuts will lead to potential strikes and disruptions to city operations, as public-sector workers will reportedly be gaining expanded legal protections next year that allow them to strike without risking termination.

Per Mission Local, Budget Chair and District 1 Supervisor Connie Chan said she would struggle to support additional cuts beyond last year’s reductions, though her alternative plan depends on one-time reserves and uncertain ballot revenue.

At Tuesday’s rally, members of the People’s Budget Coalition called for using reserves and expanding revenue instead of further cuts, pointing to competing ballot measures that could either increase or reduce city funding.

Many advocates have questioned why cuts are being pursued across social services and city departments while recently approved police and firefighter contracts include 14% raises over four years — reportedly adding roughly $100 million in costs over the next two years.

Previously: Mayor Lurie Says He’s Laying Off 500 SF City Hall Employees, Which Will Not Endear Him to the Labor Unions

Image: Senior and Disability Action/Facebook