This November, voters in San Francisco will see a measure on their ballots designed to address the city’s severe shortage of first responders.
According to the office of Supervisor Ahsha Safaí, longer response times and reduced public safety for residents in the city can be partially attributed to critical staffing shortages.
With the introduction of the First Responder Student Loan Forgiveness Fund, sponsored by Supervisors Safaí and Shamann Walton, the city will reimburse first responders up to $25,000 for work-related educational or training expenses and outstanding student loans they’ve incurred.
The ballot measure, if approved, would become San Francisco’s first loan forgiveness fund for first responders and would be made available to 911 dispatchers, employees of law enforcement and fire departments, registered nurses and paramedics. To be eligible, employees must have started as a first responder in 2025 or later and have worked full-time for three consecutive years.
“Our city is facing a deficit and the continuous burden of paying millions in overtime costs due to staffing shortages,” said Safai in a statement released on Monday. “This isn’t an efficient use of taxpayers’ money. This ballot measure isn’t just about addressing staffing shortages, it’s about ensuring the safety and well-being of our community and first responders and building a sustainable public safety ecosystem.”
Safai’s office also said that the city needs approximately 400 more police officers than it currently has and a shortage of around 175 deputy sheriffs “has exacerbated violence and injuries within jails.”
According to an analysis conducted by the SF Controller’s Office, the measure would have “no impact to a minimal impact on the cost of government,” and an estimated cost of a maximum of $315,000 in administrative expenses to implement.
The money for the fund will need to be appropriated by the board or Mayor in the future.
“We all know the dire situation we face. We need creative incentives to prevent a catastrophic breaking point and ensure that we can attract and retain excellent qualified candidates to serve our city’s public safety ecosystem,” Safaí said at a rules committee meeting on July 22. “These are all the people we count on every single day and we must prioritize proper staffing levels.”
During the same rules committee meeting, Supervisor Aaron Peskin raised a dissenting opinion, where he stated that the push to bring this measure to the November ballot is an inefficient way to pass this legislation.
“This ballot measure isn’t just about addressing staffing shortages, it’s about ensuring the safety and well-being of our community and first responders and building a sustainable public safety ecosystem.”
Supervisor Ahsha Safaí
“Ordinances are what we do here every day and I support this legislation, but we could pass it tomorrow at the Board of Supervisors. It doesn’t need to go to the ballot,” Peskin said. “I think you have the support to pass it here… and it doesn’t need to be an appendage to the ballot, when we could just be doing our jobs right here.”
Safaí responded by stating that he never intended to “overload” the ballot and instead was aiming to make this decision based on a “mandate from the voters.”
The measure was approved — six to four — on July 30, to appear on the ballot. San Francisco residents will have the opportunity to vote on it during the Nov. 5 election.
