San Francisco's lawmakers have proposed dramatic measures to meet a huge city budget shortfall for next year, including what could be immediate layoffs for high-paid city employees and an unpaid furlough for most city employees between Christmas Day and New Year's Day. The proposals come days after three City Hall budgeting offices estimated that the deficit for next year had grown to $338 million. By law, Mayor Gavin Newsom must submit a budget with no deficit to the Board of Supervisors by June 1. The board has until the end of July to pass a final budget. Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin requested that the city attorney and city controller draft legislation to eliminate positions of many city workers who are paid more than $150,000 in base salary.
See "S.F. supervisors propose layoffs, furlough", Wyatt Buchanan, San Francisco Chronicle, March 25, 2008