San Francisco city leaders on Tuesday will consider an ordinance introduced by Mayor Daniel Lurie that would declare a state of emergency over the city's fentanyl crisis.
The Board of Supervisors is set to hear the first reading of the ordinance that would free up resources by giving the mayor more power in the city’s budget process as related to what the mayor calls "core initiatives."
As it’s written in regard to those core initiatives, the ordinance would waive the bid process grant department heads more deciding power if the board doesn’t act within 45 days and remove the board from the lease approval process.
The proposed ordinance would allow the mayor six months to solicit donations from private entities and organizations and to accept donations and gifts.
It would also allow the city controller to transfer surplus funds toward those core initiatives.
Lurie campaigned on a platform of public safety. In an inerview with NBC Bay Area, he said cutting down on bureaucratic red tape will allow swifter action on creating more shelter, more capacity for mental health treatment, more police officers and more case managers.
"I'm going to do everything in my power to make change, visible change so that people, families, parents can walk down, whether it’s Sixth Street or the Mission or the Tenderloin, and feel safe doing so," Lurie said in a recent interview.
Local
The mayor says the Board of Supervisors will still have oversight, but several supervisors want that to be more clear. And that could mean amendments.
Tuesday's reading is the first for supervisors, and even with the support Lurie has secured, there's likely to be some back and forth.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
