Supervisors: holidays a bad time to lay off city workers

The delay pushes off layoffs and salary reductions for two months — in what members of the Board of Supervisors called the spirit of the holiday season.

 

But critics said the hope for a federal-state rescue was just a “fantasy,” because the money to save jobs for the long term won’t materialize.

 

The board voted 8 to 3 to preserve the positions of about 500 city employees, mostly certified nursing assistants and clerical staff, at their current pay rate through December. The decision will cost the city more than $1.8 million — funds that will come from the Department of Public Health’s fund reserves.

 

Supervisors Michela Alioto-Pier and Sean Elsbernd criticized their colleagues for making promises that could not be kept.

“Everyone, at least on this side of the rail, knows full well, even if all 11 of us vote for this, the mayor is not going to spend this money,” Elsbernd said. “You are giving these people false hope.”

The full $8 million that had been slated to cover the city employees’ salaries for the rest of the fiscal year would come from the Department of Public Health, but only if the federal government approves proposed legislation from California to allow the collection of fees from private hospitals. Municipalities could be the beneficiaries of these funds, City Controller Ben Rosenfield said.

But critics weren’t buying it. “I’ll believe it when I see it,” Alioto-Pier said. “All I’ve seen is the state taking money away from us.”

As bad as things were last summer, when the city was faced with a $438 million deficit, the situation will likely be worse next year. The city is expecting a shortfall of $522 million in the next fiscal year, and no new revenue streams have been established.

Mayor Gavin Newsom told KTVU that the postponement of the layoffs was disingenuous. “You simply cannot spend money you don’t have,” he said.

The Service Employees International Union 1021 has accused the city of disproportionately cutting the jobs of minorities and women. In the past month, the union held rallies on the steps of City Hall to draw attention to what it calls a civil rights issue.

 

Supervisor Bevan Dufty said he hoped that passing the measure would enable the board and mayor to revisit the budget. But he also took a share of responsibility for the current predicament, through his role on the budget and finance committee.

“In addressing this issue, I think that those of us on the committee have to accept, ultimately, that our product did not adequately address this issue,” Dufty said.  

Supervisor David Campos agreed. “I believe that we have a responsibility to make sure that we consistently look at what we have done in the past for purposes of determining whether or not we can do better,” he said.

 

A longer discussion about equity was long overdue, said Supervisor Sophie Maxwell.

 

“I know these women, I am these women,” she said.  “And why are they always at the end?”