Budget Cuts at Rec. & Park Dept. Could be 'Dramatic'

By Carol Dimmick

A top official with the SF Recreation and Park Department confirmed that a $9.2 million budget deficit will likely result in massive layoffs, the closing of recreation centers and delays in maintenance at parks throughout the city.

Elizabeth Goldstein, the executive director of the SF Recreation and Park Department who resigned at the end of March, said as many as 160 employees could lose their jobs as a result of the deficit. She promised the impact would be "dramatic."

Goldstein singled out the city's parks for special concern because of a long history of deterioration that goes back to the early '90s.

Over the past 10 years, the department has added 57 acres of new parkland while losing about 10 percent of its gardeners. With a potential loss of as many as 25 gardeners and trainees due to the budget deficit this year, officials say the remaining staff will be unable to adequately care for the city's 228 parks.

"We have a park system and forest that we have been struggling to maintain. We are cutting into the backbone now," Goldstein said.

A budget report prepared by the department says the loss of gardeners would result in the elimination of the popular Parks Stewardship Program, a 33 percent reduction in the Natural Areas Program and a 20 percent reduction in the frequency of maintenance at mini-parks.

Goldstein blamed the layoffs on budget cuts the department was ordered to make by Mayor Gavin Newsom, who is grappling with a $300 million deficit.

The deficit includes $3.5 million in base cuts already made by the department and another $4.7 million in prioritized cuts recently submitted to Newsom for consideration. The $9.2 target also includes another $1 million mainly in worker's compensation costs that the department expects to absorb.

News of the deficit hit the department just as it was struggling to recover from two years of budget cuts and the effects of budget woes and low employee morale stretching back to the early '90s.

During the last two years, Goldstein was able to avoid massive layoffs by consolidating programs, boosting fees, reducing staff through attrition and dipping into one-time sources of revenue.

Goldstein says this year's budget crisis is different because most of the revenue-generating options have been exhausted. As a result, she warned that 85 percent of the deficit must be met by layoffs and reducing expenses.

The department's budget report says if 160 employees are cut from the payroll recreation centers all over the City will close their doors.

As many as 14 out of 25 facilities now open on Sundays could close, according to the report. Some facilities will also close on Saturday and many will face a reduced weekday schedule as the department struggles to provide services with a greatly reduced staff lacking specialized skills.

The impact on residents living in the Richmond and Sunset districts is expected to be the same as in other districts, with neighborhood recreation centers operating on a reduced schedule. The department's current plan is to keep the Sunset Recreation Center and the Richmond Recreation Center open to serve the larger community.

Staffing cuts would have a major impact on maintenance of the department's facilities. The budget report warns that the response time to make repairs at the department's 97 buildings and infrastructure at 228 parks, squares and playgrounds could increase up to 40 percent.

Department Considers a Slow-down in Capital Program

The budget deficit is also putting the department on a collision course with it own $400 million capital improvement plan.

In 2000, voters approved two bond measures dedicated to revitalizing the city's aging recreational facilities. Over the past three years, construction began on recreation facilities throughout the City, with the bulk of the work scheduled to take place during the next five years.

Goldstein confirmed that unless the economy changes, the department will find itself without the staff to operate and maintain new facilities that are built or remodeled under the program.

Last year, the department found itself so short of staff that it had to postpone the opening of a new clubhouse in Visitacion Valley and a new park in the Mission District.

Department Considering Special Tax to Raise Revenue

In the meantime, the department is exploring every option to raise revenue, including asking voters to approve a special tax dedicated to the city's parks.

At a March 4 SF Recreation and Park Commission Finance Committee meeting, Goldstein told commissioners she is considering four new sources of revenue that the department could seek through the ballot box.

Goldstein said the goal would be to raise $10 million, via a parcel tax, utility tax, special assessment district or tax set-aside. Some options would require a simple majority for approval while others would require a two-thirds vote.

Goldstein said discussions are in an exploratory stage and there are currently no plans to try to qualify a measure for the November ballot.