San Francisco: Demand a People's Budget and force Airbnb to pay their taxes!
Call your Mayor.
Call ONE of the Supervisors. Note: only one of these Supervisors represents you. Find out which one here.
Call Script
My name is __________. I am a constituent, and my zip code is _______. I am a member of Indivisible SF.
Talking points for the Mayor:
I’m calling to ask Mayor Lurie to draft a budget that reflects San Francisco values.
All San Franciscans, no matter where they live, what they look like or who they love deserve safety and well-being.
We know that Investing in communities keeps all of us safer, not over spending on police. Oppose $90 million in additional overtime funding to the SFPD.
There's a lot of talk about a budget deficit yet there's still a lot of money around. I want a budget where the extremely wealthy, who live here, pay what they owe. Use your bully pulpit to pressure Airbnb to drop its frivolous lawsuit.
I want the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors to find a way through this budget process, including using reserves, while working for a sustainable budget for the future. This budget will be fair, equitable and protect the freedom and future thriving of all our people and families.
Talking points for your Supervisor:
I’m calling to ask Supervisor ______ to advocate with the Mayor for a budget that reflects San Francisco values.
I want the supervisor to include The Community in the budget process by holding hearings and listening to constituents.
All San Franciscans, no matter where they live, what they look like or who they love deserve safety, and well-being. We know that investing in communities keeps us safer, not over-spending on police. Oppose $90 million in additional overtime funding to the SFPD.
There's a lot of talk about a budget deficit yet there's still a lot of money around. I want the Board of Supervisors and the Mayor to find a way through this project process, including using reserves while working for a sustainable budget, where the extremely wealthy who live here pay what they owe.
We need a budget that is fair and equitable and protects the freedoms and future thriving of every family in San Francisco.
Additional action to Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky:
Email Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky at brian.chesky@airbnb.com (source): Hello! My name is __ and I live in San Francisco. I’m writing to ask Airbnb to drop its frivolous lawsuit against the City and pay the taxes. Your company could recover a lot of goodwill by joining together with SF residents to care for and be a part of the community. I suspect more people will want to use your service and your business will then actually thrive.
Background
A budget is a moral document and an expression of values. We know that all people, no matter where they live, what they look like, or who they love, deserve safety and well-being.
Our city’s next budget is currently being crafted. But contrary to our values, our communities are on the chopping block. Year after year, we see more and more cuts to needed services while the budget for the police gets more and more bloated—especially with massive overtime spending. The Board of Supervisors published an audit of police overtime last year, but they have yet to take action.
We know over-spending on police does not keep us safer. Safety comes from violence prevention, after-school programs, mental health services, community networks, and more.
Mayor Lurie tells us there's a budget deficit. But in wealthy San Francisco, there's plenty of money to go around—but only if wealthy corporations pay their fair share. Unfortunately, Airbnb is suing the city to avoid paying what it owes in taxes.
As we began reaching out to collaborate with others to fight for our values right here in San Francisco, we connected with The People’s Budget Coalition, a part of SF Rising. The People’s Budget Coalition convenes 150 nonprofit organizations, unions, and advocates who work to democratize the city budget to make sure every voice is heard. We stand with them in building lasting change and political power for working class people of color in San Francisco.
Mayor Lurie is now drafting the City budget. After the Mayor releases his budget proposal, the Board of Supervisors can make changes before the Mayor signs the budget in August.
Thus, now is the time for us to call the Mayor and our Supervisors to make sure they know what we stand for. We want a city where our budget protects the freedom and future thriving of all our people and families.
Tell the Mayor you want to see a fair and equitable budget, one where the police are not overfunded.
Ask him to use his bully pulpit to call on Airbnb to drop their frivolous lawsuit.
Make sure your supervisors know that it's important to you that the budget process is fair, equitable, and transparent, and involves the community in the decision-making.
Tell your Supervisor to use their power in the budget process to protect all of us.
Tell Airbnb to pay what it owes and be a part of San Francisco values of caring.