June 3, 2011
Dear Neighborhood & Community Leader:
As Mayor, I am committed to confronting some of our City's most pressing challenges and
implementing long-term solutions that do not defer tough decisions to the future. The twin crises
we face in addressing our City's long-term pension liability and the deteriorating condition of our
streets, sidewalks provide us with the opportunity to adopt long-term solutions today.
This week, I submitted my balanced budget for the next fiscal year to the Board of Supervisors. I’m
proud that over the last 3 months, we’ve worked hard to ensure an inclusive budget process,
engaging every member of the Board of Supervisors, neighborhood and community organizations,
and thousands of our residents through budget “town hall” meetings. We are working together to
put our City’s financial house in order, with two-year budgeting and the City’s first-ever Five Year
Financial Plan.
But when it comes to addressing San Francisco’s long-term financial health, nothing is more
important than reining in the spiraling costs of our public employee pension system. While we have
taken steps to control pension and retiree health costs in recent years, we must do more. Our
public employees work very hard and deserve a fair, reliable pension and health coverage for their
decades of service to San Francisco, but we must also ensure that the long-term costs of our
retirement system don’t undermine essential City services and responsibilities.
And we must also tackle head-on the deplorable condition of our streets. Whether you walk, bike,
take transit or drive, every San Franciscan is too familiar with our crumbling streets and sidewalks.
More than half our streets are deteriorating, costing all of us time and money and jeopardizing
public safety. Waiting longer to address the growing backlog of urgently-needed repairs only makes
them more expensive down the road.
Recently, with strong support from a majority of the members of the Board of Supervisors, I
introduced two measures to address these problems– a consensus Pension Reform Measure, that
will save $800 million to $1 billion over 10 years, to ensure we have a responsible, sustainable
public employee pension system the City can afford, and a $248 million Road Repaving & Street
Safety Bond Measure to repave crumbling streets, fix deteriorating bridges and overpasses and
improve the safety of our streetscapes. The Board of Supervisors will be considering these
proposed measures in legislative hearings over the next two months.
Representatives from City Departments, including the Capital Planning Committee, the Department
of Public Works and the Department of Human Resources, would welcome the opportunity to
provide your organization’s members with a presentation on one or both of these measures, and
answer any questions about them. If you are interested in a presentation, please contact Kirsten
pg. 2 - Mayor’s Letter to Neighborhood and Community Leaders
Macaulay on my staff at [email protected] or call 415-554-6683 and she will work with
you to schedule a presentation at an upcoming meeting. You may also find further information on
both measures on our website at: www.sfmayor.org.
Together we can confront these challenges and ensure a strong, sustainable City for the future.
Thank you for your commitment to San Francisco and for your ongoing involvement in our City.
Sincerely,
Edwin M. Lee
Mayor
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