Free Republic

Newsom expects layoffs due to city's $90 million deficit Mayor Gavin Newsom said city layoffs could start in the next few weeks as his office grapples with a budget deficit that could exceed $90 million."I can't defer bad choices," Newsom said.The mayor asked city departments to cut $75 million, but Newsom said new projections from the controller's office will lead to bigger cuts. It's too soon to say how many people will lose their jobs, the mayor said.The Public Health Department faces the biggest cuts because it's the largest department. Health officials revealed $10 million worth of proposed cuts this...

Fresh from his battle with Gap founder Donald Fisher, San Francisco Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin is embroiled in two more clashes - one over allegations that he tried to arm-twist city department leaders to do his bidding and another with a supervisor who accuses him of flipping on a vote as a political payback. Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier's beef is that Peskin switched his vote from "yes" to "no" at an Oct. 23 meeting of the board, and thus effectively tabled a charter amendment she had proposed to set qualifications for appointees to the city's Ethics, Elections and Sunshine...