Tell Mayor Lurie: Don't cut funding to the SF Environment Department (SFE)
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.
I ask that the SF Environment Department to get more money from the General Fund in the budget for 2026 & 2027.
You can use some of the talking points below.
Talking Points
SFE has an ROI of 290% (Return on Investment). Its grant-writing brings the City 29 times more money than it receives from the General Fund, and those grants will be lost if SFE is cut. Don't kill a golden goose!
SFE helps clean our air and water. For example, it <pick one or a few>
Coordinates departments to implement the Climate Action Plan
Monitors the city's greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions
Increases our biodiversity
Implements the switch to gas-free landscaping tools
SFE brings chargers for electric cars. This program directly reduces a big source of unhealthy pollution.
Comparable cities are doing more. Portland, Boston, and Seattle all spend a lot more to reduce their GHGs. Where's the innovation and determination that made this town famous for smart clean tech? SFE should be getting a raise!
SFE brings in jobs. General funds help SFE support the Climate Equity Hub, which is training the workforce that brings clean electric power to homes now powered by fossil fuels. It reduces the pollution and hazards from gas. It helps the small businesses and contractors that make this needed changeover happen. The hub focuses on employing the residents of these neighborhoods, bringing hope to the youth and increasing city revenue from taxes.
Background
This year, SFE will get General Fund support that is only 17% of what it got in 2022, if the Mayor's current budget goes through.
SFE has been working to get EV installers and home/building/parking lot owners together to put in more chargers, and we don’t want them to have to shut down this effort. A lot of other programs like tree-planting and supporting the Climate Equity Hub that brings city residents important jobs installing electric heaters that save on utilities and spare the air, will also have to stop. No wonder SFE brings $29 per dollar of General Fund support - the wonder is that our Mayor can’t see that!
We have a few weeks to push back while Lurie and the Supes are haggling, so please call both the Mayor and your supervisor now.