WHEREAS, the Fiscal Year 2004-05 budget was built on the assumption that a sales tax increase (Proposition J) and a business tax (Proposition K) would be approved by San Francisco voters; and,
WHEREAS, As a result of Proposition J and Proposition K not passing, the City will lose $97 million in revenue over an eighteen-month period; and,
WHEREAS, the Mayor has emphasized the importance of taking immediate action to close this shortfall, and prepared a plan to achieve the $97 million reduction required to balance the budget; and,
WHEREAS, included in this plan is a $15.5 million reduction to the Department of Public Health’s budget over the eighteen-month period; and,
WHEREAS, due to the fact that the Department of Public Health already eliminated 130 FTEs and $18.5 million from Administration, the proposed budget cuts are heavily weighted towards programs rather than administrative expenses and will have significant service impacts; and,
WHEREAS, the Health Commission is extremely concerned that the health care safety net, already worn thin after consecutive years of significant budget cuts, is being dismantled; now, therefore, be it
RESOLVED, that the Health Commission strongly urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to identify new revenues and fees that could close the City’s budget shortfall without further reducing vitally needed safety net services; and, be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, the Health Commission requests that Shanti Lifelines Breast Cancer Case Management and the NICO anti-gambling initiative be funded for the remainder of FY 2004-2005; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission urges the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to maintain at least half of the HIV/AIDS integrated case management/peer advocacy services and mitigate the cuts to the Primary Care network, including the managerial medical social workers; and be it
FURTHER RESOLVED, that the Health Commission authorizes the Director of the Department of Public Health to implement the cuts laid out in the Mayor’s budget reduction plan.
I hereby certify that the foregoing resolution was approved by the Health Commission at its November 9, 2004 meeting.
Michele M. Olson, Executive Secretary to the Health Commission