Anger and frustration were on display in San Francisco Wednesday as unions and city workers protested looming job cuts. The city has already issued more than 100 layoff notices, all part of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s plan to close a $643 million deficit. At San Francisco General Hospital, unions r epresenting the city’s health care and senior services workers pushed back against the layoffs. Maria-Elena Healy, a nurse at Laguna Honda Hospital, and her entire team of four received layoff notices. “I don’t know who’s going to do the work,” she said. “I don’t know who’s going to pick this up. All of our residents are going to be impacted by this loss.” Francisca Oropeza works at a geriatric clinic in the Outer Mission neighborhood. She still has a job, but the future of the clinic seems dire. “They’re closing our positions,” she said. “It’s all up in the air. We’re in limbo. Supposedly they’re going to send us off to different positions.” Union members insisted the layoffs and other cuts aren’t necessary. They said Lurie could dip into the city’s reserves instead. They also encouraged voters to pass Proposition D this November. If passed, it would raise taxes on the city’s highest corporate executive earners, meaning more revenue and less need for cuts. While 127 layoff notices have already been issued by the Lurie administration, there could be more on the way. Lurie’s budget team directed departments to send the proposals for 500 layoffs. San Francisco 13 hours ago San Francisco mayor stands by decision to lay off hundreds of workers San Francisco Apr 7 San Francisco layoffs begin as Mayor Lurie looks to close deficit San Francisco Apr 6 San Francisco mayor sends 127 layoff notices to city workers A special hearing was called Wednesday by members of the board of supervisor’s budget committee. They’re looking at the layoffs’ impact on seniors as the mayor’s office looks at cuts across nearly all city departments. The city’s budget deficit ballooned to $643 million in large part because office leasing – a big source of city tax revenue – had been strong before the pandemic but still hasn’t fully recovered. Recent federal funding cuts haven’t helped either. As a result, Lurie’s budget team is having to make tough choices. “Trying to sort out what we absolutely need versus what we like,” budget team member Sophia Kittler said. Lurie’s proposed budget is due June 1. ...read more read less