SF Budget Cuts Would Gut Youth Jobs, Immigrant Services as Federal Deadlines Loom

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors' Budget & Appropriations Committee spent more than four hours on April 22 hearing from city departments, laid-off workers, and dozens of community members about proposed workforce and community development cuts — revealing deep tensions over who bears the cost of closing a $400 million citywide budget gap. The testimony made one thing clear: the cuts fall heaviest on communities of color and immigrant families, at the worst possible moment — weeks before new federal work requirements threaten to strip food and healthcare benefits from tens of thousands of residents.

• Proposed $2M cut to SF Youth Works would eliminate 80% of youth internship slots, prompting a Youth Commission resolution and fierce pushback from teens and nonprofits

• OEWD lays off 13 staff; laid-off workers testify every workforce-side cut hit a Black, Brown, or queer employee

• MOHCD ordered to cut $8.5M in community grants — four Filipino-serving organizations face complete defunding, and 69 grants serving extremely low-income residents are on the chopping block

• HSA restructures programs to brace for federal HR1 work requirements taking effect June 1, with 19,000 CalFresh clients needing compliance pathways

• People's Budget Coalition warns Prop I transfer tax repeal would cost city $390M over four years in affordable housing revenue

• Chair Walton declares layoffs "not necessary in this budget cycle," citing decreased deficit and available reserves