San Francisco voters in this November’s election will consider Proposition N, which would create a special fund to contribute up to $25,000 each to eligible first responder employees’ student loans or to reimburse them for training programs undertaken during their employment.
Despite the name of the proposed fund being “First Responder Student Loan Forgiveness Fund,” the program would actually make payments toward eligible employees’ loans.
Eligible employees would be those in “covered positions” hired on or after Jan. 1, 2025 and who work for three consecutive years. Employees who transfer into covered positions after that date would also be eligible after three years in the new position.
Covered positions include any “sworn member of the Police Department, Fire Department, or Sheriff’s Department; paramedic; registered nurse; or 911 dispatcher, supervisor, or coordinator,” according to the legal text of the proposed ordinance, which was placed onto the ballot by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.
A political action committee supporting the measure, Support Our First Responders Now – Yes on N, had raised just under $200,000 as of Thursday, according to campaign finance data from the San Francisco Ethics Commission.
The effort is not related to any program proposed by President Joe Biden in his attempts to enact student loan forgiveness, but it creates a less costly path to student loan forgiveness for those who work in public service, including police officers, firefighters and registered nurses, who are eligible for forgiveness after 120 payments under a program enacted in 2007 by then-president George W. Bush.
Payments totaling a maximum of $25,000 each for eligible employees would begin after the fund has reached $1 million. The fund could also accept private donations. The mayor and Board of Supervisors would not be obligated to put money into the fund.
City Controller Greg Wagner said in his analysis of the proposition that it could cost between $125,000 and $315,000 annually for two new employees in the Department of Human Resources to administer the fund once it begins making payments.
‘Temporary fix’ could help with recruitment
Supervisor Ahsha Safai, who wrote the ballot argument in favor of the measure, wrote that Prop N would help recruit and retain emergency responders and reduce staffing shortages.
“By reimbursing student loans and covering job-related educational expenses, we’re recognizing their sacrifice and commitment to San Francisco. We’re encouraging first responders to continue advancing skills they need with ongoing education and training, so they can keep us safe in a complex city,” Safai wrote.
The ballot opposition argument was written San Francisco Republican County Central Committee delegate Larry Marso, who speculated that the measure could lead to other city employees demanding such benefits. He also wrote that the fund strained city resources to provide an inadequate way to address student loan debt.
“Proposition N fails to address the underlying issues that contribute to student loan debt among first responders, such as rising education costs and inadequate compensation,” he wrote. “Proposition N offers a temporary fix that may not provide long-term financial stability.”