San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie announced an immediate citywide hiring freeze during his first department head meeting on Jan. 9, in an effort to bring the largest budget deficit in San Francisco history under control.
The newly elected mayor, who emphasized the importance of fixing the budget deficit, said the hiring freeze will not impact public safety or public health in a video he posted on X the same day.
“We are committed to fiscal discipline,” Lurie, San Francisco’s 46th mayor and the founder of poverty-fighting nonprofit Tipping Point Community, wrote on X. “Our city is facing a major budget deficit, and today, the era of band-aid solutions is over.”
San Francisco is projected to have a nearly $800 million budget deficit over the current and next fiscal year, according to the city’s Ethics Commission last year.
Lurie said San Francisco’s spending and budget need to change.
“We have to realign our budget. We have to get our spending under control,” he said.
The citywide hiring freeze is set to last until June 30, the end of the fiscal year.
In order to shift the city’s focus toward “evidence and proven results,” the mayor also directed departments to realign programming and spending. This includes pausing new contracts and programs that have yet to be signed or implemented.
Lurie is the city’s first mayor since 1911 to be elected without previously serving in government.
The San Francisco native’s priorities include “ensuring safety and vibrancy in all neighborhoods” and “economic growth,” according to his government profile description.
“San Francisco is making a comeback, and I intend to put us in the best possible position to drive that growth,” he said in his announcement.
