‘Silent Defunding’: Sheriff’s Association Says Blue City Mayor Stripped Crucial Equipment From The Budget

The San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association accused Democratic Mayor London Breed of implementing “silent defunding” their department after the city made cuts to their budget, CBS News Bay Area reported.

The sheriff’s association claimed that the mayor has cut their budget for essential equipment such as ammunition, vehicles and body cameras, CBS reported. They also said that they did not know about the budget cuts until a recent labor management meeting, when the city government allegedly told them it was too broke to give the department as much funding.

“We want to be part of the solution, but time and time again, the mayor seems to block the sheriff from doing that. And this is another example,” Ken Lomba, president of the San Francisco Deputy Sheriff’s Association, told CBS. “She’s cut the funding for those items and it almost seems like silent defunding, you know? For us and we’re trying to help.”

San Francisco cut the sheriff’s department fiscal year (FY) 2024 budget by $6.5 million, according to a document published by the city in August. The city also announced cuts over the next two years to the department’s funding for equipment, vehicle replacement, DNA identification resources and salaries.

The San Francisco Sheriff’s Department received a total of $995.38 million for FY 2024, the city’s budget document showed.

The mayor’s office and the Deputy Sheriff’s Association did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.