**MEDIA ADVISORY FOR WED. 6/4**

Contacts: Jennie Smith-Camejo, jennie.smith-camejo@seiu1021.org, (510) 710-0201
Luke Thibault, lthibault@ifpte21.org, (760) 534-9958 

Mayor Lurie’s proposed budget, released Friday, May 30, calls for the elimination of 1,400 positions, including over 100 that are currently filled. While the mayor claims to prioritize public safety, clean streets, and the city’s homelessness and mental health crisis, his budget makes cuts to public works, homeless and mental health services, housing and community development, workforce development, and other departments crucial to this agenda.

On Wednesday, June 4, more than 1,000 city workers and community members will rally on the steps of City Hall at noon. Dozens will then flood the chambers for the first budget and appropriations hearing following the mayor’s budget release to voice their opposition of the cuts to the Board of Supervisors.

What: 1,000+ city workers and community members protest public service cuts and layoffs
Where: San Francisco City Hall
When: 12 p.m. rally on front steps followed by 1:30 p.m. budget hearing
*Media opportunities to speak with city workers impacted by proposed layoffs*

“I’m a mom of two, and proud San Francisco native who has been able to serve the city I call home – I grew up in the Mission, Bay View, and Excelsior. These places are close to my heart, and as a city worker in the Office of Economic & Workforce Development, I’ve seen a lot of lives changed for the better,” said Lilli Morales, an IFPTE Local 21 member on the layoff list. “Cutting these jobs will affect a lot of people. I found out about my layoff on the anniversary of my 13 years of being a CCSF employee, over the phone. There are other ways of achieving what the mayor wants – this isn’t it.”

“For 19 years, I have worked for the CityBuild program. We provide low-income San Francisco residents the opportunity to learn skills through pre-apprenticeship programs that then enable them to get well-paid careers in the skilled trades,” said Judy Sorro, who is also on the layoff list. “We help people get not just jobs, but actual careers that allow them to stay in San Francisco. I’ve seen people buy houses; I’ve seen people come out of prison who have totally changed their lives. We know San Francisco natives are being pushed out and made homeless by gentrification and unaffordability. This work is crucial to maintaining the fabric of our community. But the mayor’s budget guts our department by over 40%. Does this mayor care at all about helping San Francisco natives stay in the city they were born in and love? Or does he want this to be a playground for millionaires?”

While the mayor downplays the impact by emphasizing that most of the positions are currently vacant, he ignores that many departments are already short-staffed and have required those vacancies to be filled. Permanently slashing these positions will further reduce the quality of services workers can provide. He also ignores the path forward that city workers’ unions laid out in meetings with him this past January, which include pushing Airbnb and other multibillion dollar corporations to drop the lawsuits against the City that are currently tying up hundreds of millions of dollars that could be spent to protect services.

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SEIU Local 1021 represents nearly 60,000 employees in local governments, nonprofit agencies, health care programs, courts, and schools throughout Northern California, including seven private colleges and numerous community colleges. SEIU Local 1021 is a diverse, member-driven organization with members who work to make our cities, schools, colleges, counties, and special districts safe and healthy places to live and raise our families.