The Bay Area Toll Authority has the unique power to raise bridge tolls without the Legislature’s approval, which it has done repeatedly to pay off the $6.9 billion bond debt amassed so far to build the new Bay Bridge and upgrade six other spans. That makes BATA particularly attractive to Wall Street, which has pocketed more than $122 million in fees to arrange the borrowing.
Category: Series
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall, Labor
City finds millions to rehire laid-off nurses, clerical workers
San Francisco city leaders have found an extra pot of $8 million they hope to use as a patch on the summer’s tattered budget, potentially rescuing more than 500 frontline workers already given pink slips or downgraded to lower-paying jobs.
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, From the Newsroom, News
Thanks for making the City Budget Watchdog project a success!
We did it! Thanks to your help, The Public Press and Spot.Us raised $5,000 to support our City Budget Watchdog series. Over the course of three months, our team produced 18 articles and 13 videos, accompanied by numerous photos and information graphics, and co-produced with KALW (91.7 FM) a budget roundtable that aired Aug. 17 […]
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall, Health, News
SF leaders float drink fee to help balance budget
San Francisco Supervisor John Avalos is crafting a proposal that would place a fee on alcohol sold in the city, potentially raising $25 million to $35 million annually to help pay for alcohol-related public health and criminal justice costs.
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall, Health, Labor, News, Social Justice
San Francisco layoffs disproportionately hit women and minorities, workers assert
As the city shrinks its payroll, sending layoff notices to certified nursing assistants and clerical staff, it is touching off accusations from organized labor that officials are discriminating against women and minority workers.
Posted inAging, California, City Budget Watchdog, City Hall, Government & Politics, Health, HIV & AIDS, News, Social Services
State cuts set to slam San Francisco’s seniors, poor
Already reeling from a deep recession and massive cuts to staff and services in this year’s budget, San Francisco is being hammered by a new tidal wave of state cuts — estimated at $26.5 million — which could put low-income seniors and others on the brink of homelessness and hunger, many advocates say.
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall
Supes on: the budget — Mar advocates ‘a people’s budget’
Although San Francisco’s city budget was passed in July, District 1 Supervisor Eric Mar says he believes taking a more fundamental process to passing it is in order.
He advocates having “a people’s budget,” in which the process would solicit more grassroots involvement at “the early levels as opposed to where you have people rallying and begging at the last minute … when they can’t have as much of an impact on the budget.”
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall, Media
Public Press/KALW budget roundtable examines city’s fiscal crisis
The Public Press and KALW (91.7 FM) teamed up for a budget roundtable that aired Aug. 17 on the “Crosscurrents” news program. A panel of local experts offered a lively and informative on-the-air discussion about San Francisco’s budget crisis and its impacts on residents and communities.
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall
SF supes skirt law in restoring funds to service providers
Amid intense lobbying to restore social-service funding to this year’s budget, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors earmarked $1 million for specific organizations, flouting the city charter.
Posted inCity Budget Watchdog, City Hall, Public Safety
Supes on: the budget — ‘There needs to be more dialogue,’ says Maxwell
Sophie Maxwell praises the health department for efficiency and calls the budget policy debate “healthy.”
“The police, that’s the end. Public safety starts in the middle. Public safety starts with education. Public safety starts with health … by the time they get to the police we have failed them.”