Here's a lesson for San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom: If you want to attract talent to San Francisco's top cop job, don't take tens of millions of dollars away from the budget they'd oversee.
That's what Newsom is learning as he searches for a replacement for retiring police chief Heather Fong, the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The Police Commission delivered a shortlist of three candidates to the mayor on Wednesday, but Newsom said his top pick is second-guessing the job offer in light of recent budget cuts.
The Board of Supervisor's budget committee voted on Wednesday to slash $82 million from the police, fire, and sheriff departments in order to reverse Newsom's proposed cuts to health and social services programs. The committee's cuts would lead to the closing of district police stations, firing more than 300 police officers, and releasing hundreds of inmates, among other actions.
The Houston Chronicle reported that police chief Harold Hurtt is one of the picks, although it's unclear as to whether or not Hurtt is the frontrunner.
The other two finalists remain a mystery. Sources say that both candidates are men and neither are affiliated with the San Francisco Police Department.
