Watch How the $25 Million SFPD Overtime Debate Went Down
Written by The Standard StaffPublished Mar. 23, 2023 • 2:13pm
Politics
Mayor London Breed listens to questions from Supervisor Dean Preston about the Community Ambassadors Program in City Hall on March 7, 2023. | Justin Katigbak for The Standard
After more than an hour of heated argument, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed a $25 million budget supplemental for more police overtime by a vote of 9-2 Tuesday.
Supervisors Dean Preston and Shamann Walton were the only two votes against the massive cash boost.
A repeated pain point for the board was a perceived imbalance in overtime deployment, with Downtown and posh shopping districts allegedly favored over residential neighborhoods. Recent revelations from Supervisor Joel Engardio said just four cops protect 130,000 San Franciscans on any given night in the Taraval police district on the city’s west side.
“The reality is that police wildly overspend their already increased budget and now want a bailout with raises, bonuses and unlimited overtime, with most of it [going] to luxury retail stores and tourists in areas already saturated with coverage,” Preston told the meeting Tuesday.
The overtime budget bump was approved shortly before a video of a sleeping uniformed police officer came to light Thursday.
Watch how the staunchest debate against the overtime plan’s approval went down below, with a rebuttal from SFPD at the end:
‘A Bailout With More Raises, Bonuses, and Unlimited Overtime.’
‘The Most Reckless Thing I Have Ever Seen From Any City Department.’
‘Our Understanding Was That Those Reporting Requirements Were Suspended.’
The Standard Staff can be reached at [email protected]
