SF Mayor Lurie says $1B of government 'overspending' to end

But Lurie may face opposition from nonprofits that depend on city funding to function. Their services run the gamut from afterschool programs for high schoolers to free assistance for seniors in Chinatown and the Mission.

The People’s Budget Coalition, an alliance of more than 150 such organizations, said Lurie’s austerity measures come at a bad time, as the policies of President Donald Trump are likely to barrage vulnerable communities.

“As the Trump administration increases threats to immigrants, immigrant workers are now more vulnerable than ever to wage theft and workplace abuses, as they fear speaking up,” said Joyce Lam, an organizer with the Chinese Progressive Association, which is part of the coalition. “As a city, there’s an urgent need to ensure that immigrant workers know their rights and can exercise those rights through in-language, culturally competent workers’ rights outreach, education, and support services.”

In its annual revenue letter, the city controller’s office noted that Breed relied “heavily on one-time sources to balance the budget.”

In other words, Lurie inherited a budget on a creaky foundation. It’s not dissimilar to another city budget, in 1988, when Mayor Art Agnos inherited a $172 million budget deficit from his predecessor, the late Dianne Feinstein.

Much like Lurie’s hiring freeze, Agnos instituted a pay-raise freeze. After-school programs, youth employment programs, and libraries all faced cuts. The electorate became outraged, and Agnos recalled it playing a factor in his electoral loss after his first term.

Lurie is handling things a bit differently. In his directives to department heads, he pushed them to maintain “core services” that people depend on. And it seems Lurie — or perhaps his transition adviser, former Controller Ben Rosenfield — is aware of history.

“Please do not submit proposals designed to be politically untenable,” Lurie advised department heads.

The Standard’s Gabriel Greschler contributed to this report.