Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2005. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.
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San Francisco Examiner - June 19, 2005
Bonnie Eslinger, beslinger@examiner.com
The funds will be used for nonmedical services, including case management, peer and treatment advocacy, and health and risk education for San Franciscans with AIDS/HIV.
Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who had championed the return of the AIDS/HIV funds, said public outcry and ongoing testimony around the need for more AIDS funding prompted the mayor's efforts to find the money for the essential services.
"While I may not always agree with the mayor, in general he has been has been sympathetic to the need for more AIDS funding," said Ammiano, who chairs the board's budget committee.
The City is currently facing a projected $59 million budget shortfall for the 2005-06 fiscal year.
"Our action to restore these funds reflects my commitment to protecting services for our city's most vulnerable residents ù especially those suffering from AIDS/HIV," Mayor Newsom said in a prepared statement. "Despite the fact that we face yet another historic budget deficit, I am adamant about taking every step possible and finding creative ways to fund the services that needy San Franciscans rely upon."
The local funding is particularly needed as millions of dollars in federal funding has been lost in the past two years, even though 1,000 new cases are emerging annually, according to health statistics.
Discussion about AIDS budget figures have provoked emotional debate and accusations within City Hall. Earlier this month, Supervisor Chris Daly found a discrepancy in the Public Health's Department budget for AIDS funding that gave the appearance of millions of dollars of support for AIDS patients being lost. Budget officials called the matter an accounting error that incorrectly inflated the current year's spending of $71 million by at least $5 million. Daly told The Examiner on Sunday that the City Controller's Office had promised to show a more accurate accounting for the money today.
Daly said the wording of the mayor's announcement was disingenuous considering some AIDS programs are still on the budget chopping block.
"They're not making restorations, they're slightly reducing the amount of cuts," Daly said.
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