City of San Francisco faces budget deficit; cuts entire $2M funding that was secured for the Office of Reparations
Dec 18, 2023
SAN FRANCISCO, CA - Due to a severe budget deficit, the city of San
Francisco has gutted its Office of Reparations' proposed
multi-million-dollar budget.
This decision, made by Democrat Mayor London Breed, leaves the Office of Reparations with significantly less in their effort to compensate their black residents to repair the wrongs of slavery. As reported by FOX News, the city's proposed reparation payments to those eligible were at one time estimated to cost over $100 billion.
This decision, made by Democrat Mayor London Breed, leaves the Office of Reparations with significantly less in their effort to compensate their black residents to repair the wrongs of slavery. As reported by FOX News, the city's proposed reparation payments to those eligible were at one time estimated to cost over $100 billion.
This initial estimated amount was viewed as "unrealistic" for a city
that was already struggling with its budget and lack of agreement over
how much money should be used for reparations. According to CBS News, with the deficit the city faces in 2024, the office won't be funded at all.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors previously considered shelling out $5 million to each of the qualifying black residents in reparations to help "repair the harm" that was caused by slavery in black communities. The reparations committee's chair, consultant Eric McDonnell, said in a statement that the $5 million number came as a result of a "journey" rather than a "math formula."
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors previously considered shelling out $5 million to each of the qualifying black residents in reparations to help "repair the harm" that was caused by slavery in black communities. The reparations committee's chair, consultant Eric McDonnell, said in a statement that the $5 million number came as a result of a "journey" rather than a "math formula."
He said, "There wasn't a math formula. It was a journey for the
committee towards what could represent a significant enough investment
in families to put them on this path to economic well-being, growth and
vitality that chattel slavery and all the policies that flowed from it
destroyed."
As the city continues to face financial challenges, Breed approved a $75 million spending cut, which including eliminating the $4 million initially allocated for launching the reparations office. City officials stated that establishing a separate reparations office might not be an efficient use of funds, citing ongoing efforts within existing department structures like the Dreamkeeper Initiative.
The city's supervisor, Shamann Walton, told the San Francisco Examiner that the cuts to the office's budget were "disheartening." He did not dispute Breed's logic behind the decision as the city faces an "economic reckoning."
As the city continues to face financial challenges, Breed approved a $75 million spending cut, which including eliminating the $4 million initially allocated for launching the reparations office. City officials stated that establishing a separate reparations office might not be an efficient use of funds, citing ongoing efforts within existing department structures like the Dreamkeeper Initiative.
The city's supervisor, Shamann Walton, told the San Francisco Examiner that the cuts to the office's budget were "disheartening." He did not dispute Breed's logic behind the decision as the city faces an "economic reckoning."
He said, "I understand the importance of no cuts to exisiting programs, but the black community will continue to pursue justice and equity through reparations here in San Francisco. My hope is that the city's deficit is eliminated quickly so that we can fund the Office of Reparations and fulfill the commitment made to address the historical injustices and inequities that have persisted for generations for black San Franciscans."
Sheryl Davis, executive director of the San Francisco Human Rights commission said that despite the cuts to the Office of Reparations, the city continues to work on several of the reparations plan's recommendations. Davis said, "A lot of work, it'll be tight, but we'll leverage some of the funding we had in our budget."
The $2 million is gone not only from this year's budget, but in each of the next two years as well. Davis said, "It's a loss, but every department in the city is making hard decisions."
Breed reportedly never committed to establishing the Office of Reparations, even after Walton had secured the $2 million in funding within the city budget. Breed has repeatedly held that reparations are an issue not to be tackled at the local level.
1 comment:
If you want money, get a job.
Post a Comment