Resources . The homeless in San Francisco or that population is an outlier. Were going to see that in the next few quarters, i anticipate, because were now doing a better job of trying to understand where resources should be going, but these are questions we need to be asking in the new year, so when the mayor asks us to reduce or budget, we can say well, mr. Mayor, madam mayor, whoever it is, were now doing homeless were doing some type of Homeless Outreach or our services are now, you know, expanding in all of these different ways. I dont know but just in the recent and maybe its just this time of year, but theres been a lot of calls related to pg e. So maybe its annual. Im not sure if its just this time of year that this happens. I dont know. But what are these outliers . Are we using this information and are we building the best budgets when it comes to budget time . Id like more information on the station 49 hander and how its reflected in our budget, and how its reflected in their budget, as well. I appreciate the job that you do, mr. Corso. I dont know how the city could possibly be in a deficit given the place in our economy is with our unemployment at 4. 1 . I can only imagine the problems were going to have when we hit that downturn, because winter is coming. Absolutely. Thank you for your comments, and you touched on a lot of things, so if im missing anything, please let me know. To answer your question, i dont think we can get out of being asked for reductions up front. I think those are general instructions to all city departments. Howeve however, in the past, what we have done and the commission has advocates we are in need of additional funding versus a reduction to any services. So what we have done in the past is if we have savings and revenues or something to account for a portion of our reduction, weve put those on the table, but we also say we dont feel we can absorb any further reductions, and these are the reasons why. Weve laid those out as part of our budget submission. So i think its an ongoing conversation can the Mayors Office, and they kind of emphasized this, that Even Department submitted what their target reduction was, that still wouldnt address the entire deficit problem thats being proposed. So its an ongoing conversation with the mayor offis office, we discussed those kind of things. So thats a discussion that well continue to have past the february deadline. With regards to station 49, i think it was trrd i dont have any information on the budget back then, but station 49, what that Ambulance Service looked like at that time is significantly different than what it looks like now, because those ambulances went into fire stations. The number of ambulances, the number of calls was dramatically less than what we have now. Especially in recent years, weve had dramatic increases in staff. So outside of the inflation, just the department and ems the department has now as compared to what it had originally was far greater than what the original amount was. And thats something were continuing to work with, as we havent seen call volumes slow down at all, we continue to work with the mayor office in response to that, in order to provide an adequate response time. We need to be properly resources from an ems perspective. And if i could mention quickly, thats an excellent point, but whether ems was a part of the department of health or the department, that growth would have been there any way. So if it was still in the department of health, that would be in the department of health budget, and i want to make sure that we have received that growth as well because we have taken on this and i believe that obviously, we its natural. It makes sense that we would have that. But i want to make sure we get the budget that reflects that growth. And then, just in general, we do look at, and part of the Budget Committee, part of their work is to Service Different areas of the department. We try to get as diverse a group a possible so we have all ranks, all divisions, and we do a Needs Assessment and we look at some of the data providing on those specific items as far as additional funding requests to the Mayors Office as part of our overall budget. Did i hit on yes. Okay. Thank you. Commissioner covington . Thank you, mr. President. I will yield the floor to the chief of the department. Chief, did you still want to speak . At 11 15, i do have to part, but ill seek to continue because i know theres another item im meeting with the police chief, the sheriff, and our new mayor. I just wanted to pretty much echo what mark what mr. Corse had said. We really would alienate a lot of people if there was id love it to be that way, personally. Everybody else in the Public Safety must reduce their operating budgets. In a field of 55, 60 departmen departments, i think thats a request that theyre going to make across the board. However, its, to your point, the ability to craft a very good justification. We have in many cases, during many difficult years, with the assistance of the commission, to say we get it. However, this is why we feel we cant reduce or why we need more in some cases. Youre absolutely right. It predated me as chief, but it was july 1st, 1997 that we took over the formerly Paramedic Division and entered them into our department, and there was good reason for that. Along the way, there was somaics and pains people say did we inherit this huge monster, and i would say we inherit that was rightfully placed in the Fire Department. At best, there were eight to 12 ambulances during their peak period in the 90s, which to me is very surprising. We struggle with having sometimes 25 and 26 at peak periods, so weve done a lot more. It would be interesting to take a look at the analysis in terms of what the budget was then, but i can tell you the budget was not that much. Were applying so many more resources, but to do that analysis, that would be very helpful. Im a native San Francisco, native neighborhoods, Candlestick Point will be a great addition, but an exciting point to this citys history. I think the work for us begins now, and itll be extra challenging with some executive leadership changes over the course of the next, you know, few weeks to june to to july excuse me, january of 2020. But all the while, i think our justification will be the same no matter who is sitting in the executive seat, in that Public Safety should matter, should be prioritized, and we we will have a justification to back up our arguments. Thats all i wanted to add. Thank you. Thank you, chief. Commissioner covington. Thank you, mr. President. Mr. Corse, im sorry you have to be the messenger of this bad news. Im feeling quite nervous about a number of, im sorry you hav to be the messenger of this bad news. Im feeling quite nervous about a number o, im sorry you have to be the messenger of this bad news. Im feeling quite nervous about a number of things. This proposed deficit of 709 million for the city, that is incredible, considering that we are currently in boom times. I hate to say it, but i really feel that, you know, the economic downturn can be expected and that a recession really looms large in all of our lives. I were on borrowed time, just like with earthquakes. If we dont have one today, that means were one day closer to having one. This weve had quite a quite a good run economically, and thank goodness for the Obama Administration and janet yellin and everyone who worked so hard to make sure that the finances of the country were go good. But we cant excuse me. We cant continue this rate of growth, so there has to be some contraction in the market, and im concerned about there being the requisite contraction in the San FranciscoFire Department and its budget. So here comes my familiar drum about the general fund. We cannot, as a department, continue to depend solely upon the general fund. Everybody goes to the general fund. When you have a request for a 2. 5 reduction in each year, a cumulative 5 in the second year of our budget, we need to tap into outside resources. Any budget that comes to us, you know, presented by you, mr. Corso im not frustrated with you in any way. Im just frustrated with this coming up year after year, and were doing the same thing. Were handling our business the exact same way. We need to be able to go to foundations and go to branchs of the federal government to tap into funds that are being offered. We dont have the grant writers that i keep talking about. This, to me, is a priority. This is a priority. I any budget that comes to me, as we sit here, as commissioners, i have to see that as a protected category. A new category but a protected category. Theres home hand security funds, there are health funds. There are all kinds of funds that are available. There are foundations that have so much money related to Public Safety, related to all of these things, and were still not doing our Due Diligence to make sure that that is something that were at least in competition for. Were not in the game at all. Its very frustrating for me to have to say this over and over again. I really suspect that with the downturn in the economy, its not going to be a 5 reduction thats being requested. I think that is the starting point, knowing what little i know about finances. I think that is the starting point. I think that is a conservative number, that it could be 10 , and then, were left flat footed. I know that you agree with me, so please dont take what i was saying as an attack on you. Its not an attack on you, but we have got to work smarter. And you know, we have brilliant people in the department. We could we can do better, and we must do better. So i also had a question about the Budget Committee. Who actually, this is a question for the president of the commission. Which commissioners currently serve on the Budget Committee . I do, and i dont know. Vice president nakajo . Okay. So its currently the president and the Vice President , because i thought commissioner hardeman was on it at one point, at well. No. I chose not to be on it over the years. Im very fortunate. Okay. Okay. This is something we both feel is important, as well, commissioner covington, so we share your concerns. Thank you. That we dont have a grant writer in the department. I know the Police Department has probably two or three. They have a staff of grant writers. They have three grant writers in the Police Department. So it is a priority, mr. Corso. And i daresay theyre not smarter than we are. Lets get with it. I think mr. Corsos got the message. And also, mr. President , to you, you have mentioned a number of times about the need for friends of the San FranciscoFire Department, and rumor has it, sir, that you will be retired. Wow. Thank you for your suggestion. Got more time for us. More time. Youre more than welcome from my suggestion. Theres certainly a lot of money in the private sector that could be tapped to support our department. Well, every time you have mentioned the friends of the Fire Department, i supported it. We did have one years ago, but it disbanded, but its something that should be researched a little bit more, yeah, how we could reestablish that nonprofit entity. Well, the nonprofit entity would have to be totally separate from the department. It would have to be a 501 c 3, but i have always bought, since you first joined the commission, you have brought that idea up, and i have always thought that it was an excellent idea. Well, the Planning Department has one, and a very successful one. It raises a lot of money each year to basically be used for training purposes for unbudgeted expenses of the Department Personnel going to conferences and seminars and whatnot, so its a good thing. The members of the department would love that, just love that. Park and rec has one, as well. Thats very true. All right. Well, thank you very much, and mr. Corso, i look forward to working with you on the budget. Certainly. You too. Write that grant writer in. Thank you, commissioner covington. Vice president nakajo. Thank you very much, president cleaveland. Thank you very much director corso. I appreciate this process because this process is what weve been working with since ive been here. I know that theres concerns on maybe modifying or changing the process. Again, i appreciate it because you have always been able to walk us through the process, and with these timelines and with these instructions, so when i see a deficit number and in terms of your presentation, the projected deficit that was referred to was 88 million fiscal year 1819. Excuse me . Do i have this wrong . Can you explain this a little bit more about projected deficit over the next two fiscal years, and were talking about San Franciscos projected deficit, correct, on page 7 . Absolutely. So as part of the joint report, the controllers office, Mayors Office, and the Budget Office looked at projected deficits for the next five years, and assuming nothing changes, they stack on each other going outward. So in 1819, which is the first year, an 88 million deficit, and in the second year, its 173 million. I appreciate it. With a total of 262 million. Correct. You mentioned a figure of 1. 5 and 3 million. Is that our portion of cuts, for lack of a better semantic word . Correct. So the rubbings of rubbing is 2. 5 of the departments general budget. The remainor, about 50 or 60 million, which is what thats taken off of, so thats our original request for 1. 5 million. These figures that youre bringing for the projected figures are about the same projects figures as we were using last year. This year is similar to last years request. All right. As an individual, in terms of the commission, but as a commissioner with the rest of our colleagues here, i can understand and digest 1. 5 and three mill because that was similar to what the scenario was last year. I know were in a quote, unquote, robust economy and have been. I know theres some talk of budget and deficit, which i dont take lightly, as well. I know that deficits will occur, but i have a tough time of reacting in terms of what that number is, because if i just kind of react or i project, those numbers can get real, real large. And as i look at numbers that are less than what i project in my mind, i have a tendency that oh, that doesnt seem to be that bad or projected. Honestly, commissioners, when i see an 8 million rejected, fiscal 1819, and 173 million for 1920 fiscal year accumulated, i can understand that. I dont im going to use my vernacular. I dont get shookup on it. Because that 88 million, it seems like a better number than ive seen previously. I remember the years under mayor newsom, when we dealt with deficits budget year after budget year after budget year. Im not going to say that im used to the process, but the budget process started with the our office and the Mayors Office and instructions. So when i hear instructions of no more spending, i take that to heart. I understand the need of grant writers, and i understand the need of other areas within the department, but i also understand, and this is just me and my expression, other areas of need within the department havent even come close to fully funding beyond trying to get us into a full professional working Fire Department, and i know that these are words, and i know that were trying to protect ourselves to be a modern, Effective Department or, as in some ways, a department for the 21st century. I know that. Its just a matter of how do we get to that is my particular question. I only say that again because when the Newsom Administration and the deficit affected us, theres a tendency, depending on who it is, for us to take one side or the other side. I know that we, as a Fire Department, are advocating for ourselves straight up. When someone gives an instruction no new hires or everything rejects, i know it doesnt sit real well with us, but id rather be in control of our budget from this point forward, whether its a projected deficit or other accumulated concepts. Again, as the president said, i am for grant writers, as well, if we can be able to project that. Its just a matter of if we can, and i understand the advocacy that youve made, commissioner covington, for years, and i support that. Its just a matter of when well be able to do that. I must say that i get a little confes queasy when i look to the federal government for resources. Maybe its because of the current administration, but i do know there are grants in certain foundations. I do know if we had the resources to seek out those funds, we would benefit from that, but im not sure how much dollars accumulated over years or time, because grants in my experience are usually one time or one time with two years or a presentation of justification. So if the concept is we cant get a staff budget within our city of grant writer, i. E. , perhaps theres other measures in the department that we can do in terms of seeking out some kind of area of resources for that, so thats just my point on that. Again, i dont know if it makes much sense to director kr orso as i express myself, because theres a lot of things, and im not done yet. Ms6, commissioner and i understand the comment where it came from, but ems 6, to me, is our program. Were the ones that created it. I understand how the department or the department of health or the city needs to deal with the homeless issue or car booting in general, but ems 6, as i understand it, was again, a formation of our department under our services to directly look at a targeted population for given effects of our operation in terms of helping a c