Public Safety Budget Maintained Amid $782M Deficit

Despite a projected $782 million budget deficit, Mayor Daniel Lurie’s budget proposal does not cut funding from San Francisco’s core public safety services. The Fire Department, Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, 911 dispatchers, District Attorney’s Office, and Public Defender’s Office will all maintain or slightly increase their funding.

The Facts

In January, Mayor Lurie ordered every city agency to plan for 15% cuts due to a $782M budget deficit. But the Standard reports that theFire Department, Police Department, Sheriff’s Department, 911 dispatchers, District Attorney, and Public Defender will be spared entirely from the budget cuts.

The District Attorney’s Office, which initially faced a $5.4 million reduction, will instead receive about $3.5 million more million for FY 2025–26 and $6.7 million more in FY 2026–27. That change prevents layoffs of junior prosecutors and ensures continued focus on prosecuting fentanyl-related and repeat offenses.

The Public Defender’s Office will also see a small bump—from $55.4 million to $57.6 million in FY 2025–26. This funding will help the department keep up with rising caseloads stemming from stepped-up enforcement.

The Context

San Francisco’s $782 million deficit is the result of years of runaway budget growth, structural inefficiencies, and economic headwinds. Since 2012, the city budget has surged by 54% (inflation-adjusted), adding $5.5 billion and 7,000 new city employees—even as the population shrank by 45,000. Today, San Francisco’s per-resident spending is nearly double that of similar U.S. cities, and the city now forecasts an annual deficit of $1.5 billion by 2030 if left unchecked.

The unique combined city-county structure means San Francisco provides a wider range of services than most cities, including public health and welfare, but also creates redundancy—like operating both a Police Department and a Sheriff’s Office. Meanwhile, departments like Public Health and Homelessness have seen billion-dollar increases, and city spending on contracts and nonprofits has exploded to $5.8 billion.

Mayor Lurie’s decision to spare public safety from cuts reflects a broader strategy: protect what works, rein in what doesn’t, and finally bring discipline to a city government that has grown too big, too fast.

The GrowSF take

San Francisco is finally seeing real progress in crime reduction, with a recent 23 year low in crime, but that leaves us to question - should we be growing or cutting the budget as crime drops? Will raising budgets for public safety actually save the city money overall?

Honestly, we aren't sure. For now, we're ok with a wait-and-see approach that holds budgets for public safety steady, with the possibility for changes if crime continues to fall.