SF city workers, community groups rally against mayor’s budget

San Francisco city workers and organizations gathered Wednesday to push back on the mayor's proposed budget.

A large group of city workers, community groups and others gathered on the steps of City Hall to lobby against the mayor's proposal, saying it will hurt, not help the city.

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Mayor Daniel Lurie last week presented a $15.9 billion proposal that aims to close an $800 million two-year deficit.

Lurie said it prioritizes safe, clean streets and avoids cuts to any sworn officers and keeps funding levels for police, fire and other public safety departments. But his proposed budget also calls for eliminating more than 1,400 city positions, most of which are currently unfilled.

Many at Wednesday's rally said the cuts will severely impact departments that are already short-staffed.

Some unions also point to Airbnb suing the city over taxes they think they overpaid. They believe the city should be pushing back harder against those claims.

The mayor has defended his budget proposal, saying while some difficult choices had to be made, it puts San Francisco in the best possible financial position moving forward.