The Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco, which oversees the de Young Museum and Legion of Honor, is proposing drastic measures to save the city money, including eliminating nearly a quarter of its full-time city-employed staff and closing on Tuesdays.
As part of the city budget process for fiscal 2026-27, the Fine Arts Museums must submit a budget proposal reducing expenditures by 15%, or $3.3 million.
This is the second year in a row that the organization has proposed closing on Tuesdays to save money.
“This is only a proposal,” Helena Nordström, a spokesperson for the museums, said in an email. “It is our understanding that the Mayor’s Budget Office does not want to see a reduction of operating hours at the de Young and Legion of Honor and we are working closely with the Mayor’s Budget Office to analyze the proposal and look for other cost reduction opportunities.”
The mayor’s office declined to comment.
The de Young and Legion of Honor are already closed on Mondays. Nixing Tuesdays could reduce up to 150,000 visitors annually and cut student visits by a quarter, according to the budget proposal submitted to the mayor’s office in February.
Proposed staff cuts include 20 security guards, not employees in the curatorial departments. The museum acknowledges that such cuts would disproportionately affect employees of color.
The proposal comes at a precarious time for museum union workers, who, on Jan. 23, entered bargaining talks with the Corporation of the Fine Arts Museums for a three-year contract. The non-profit corporation operates separately from the city.