Coalition of City Union Leaders and Supervisors Urge Placement of Police Minimum Staffing Act on March Ballot

SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. 28, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Safer Smarter SF ? a coalition of San Francisco unions representing emergency room nurses, 911 operators, human services workers and other city employees ? today urged the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to vote to place the San Francisco Police Full Staffing Act on the March 2024 ballot. The proposed Charter Amendment would increase police minimum staffing levels and promote recruitment of new police officers using future dedicated revenues from corporate taxes to increase public safety.

"This is about making San Francisco safer," said Larry Mazzola, Jr., President of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council. "San Francisco needs more police officers, but we also need more firefighters, nurses, 911 dispatchers, and other city workers who keep San Francisco safe. This measure would allow us to have both."

"We urge the Board of Supervisors to let the voters choose a sensible approach to public safety," said Kristin Hardy, Vice President of SEIU 1021, which represents nurses at San Francisco General Hospital, 911 dispatchers and other public workers. "If San Franciscans vote to support the Police Full Staffing Act, our union is committed to making sure the city's biggest corporations pay their fair share for a safer San Francisco."

"We need a fiscally responsible plan to get more cops on San Francisco streets," said Supervisor Catherine Stefani. "I will support any measure that increases police staffing and allows San Francisco to hire more police officers without forcing layoffs of firefighters, nurses, 911 dispatchers and other public safety workers to pay for it."

"San Francisco needs a fiscally responsible plan to fully staff our police and public safety positions," said Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin. "The Police Full Staffing Act will help us recruit the officers we need while preserving fire, emergency public health and 911 services."

"Polling shows San Franciscans support fully staffing all the functions we need for better public safety," said Gus Vallejo, President of IFPTE Local 21, which represents health and safety professionals in city and county government. "This measure would guarantee staffing of critical public safety functions, including police officers, without creating massive budget deficits and new taxes on residents and small businesses."

BACKGROUND:

Safer Smarter SF is a growing coalition of unions, community groups and small businesses across San Francisco who are advocating for new revenue streams to fund life-saving City services: Small Business Forward, SEIU Local 1021, IFPTE Local 21, SF Building and Construction Trades Council.

Safer Smarter SF released new polling, conducted by David Binder Research from October 25-29, 2023, among 400 likely primary election voters in San Francisco. It shows that San Francisco voters rank 911 response and emergency public health services above increased police staffing and prefer an approach to police full staffing that preserves all vital public safety services.

SOURCE IFPTE Local 21