Proposition F | californiachoices.org

My vote

The City Charter requires the Police Chief to submit a report every two years to the Police Commission describing the current number of full-duty sworn officers and recommends adequate staffing levels for the next two years, for budget consideration purposes. The Charter does not define “full-duty sworn officers.” Proposition F would amend the Charter to define “full-duty sworn officer” to mean a full-time officer except those on long-term leaves of absence, recruits who are training at the Police Academy and officers assigned to the San Francisco International Airport. Prop F is a charter amendmendment that requires 50%+1 affirmative votes to pass.

Fiscal Impact: Prop F would have a significant impact on the cost of government. Based on the Retirement System’s current actuarial assumptions and policies, the amendment would result in increased costs to the City ranging from $600,000 to $3 million in the first year. In subsequent years, the cost impact would range from saving approximately $300,000 to costing up to approximately $3 million annually by the fifth year of the program.

Next San Francisco Measure: Measure G

See Endorsements for Proposition F

Details

Pro/Con

Pro:

Supporters argue that Proposition F will curb our ongoing loss of police officers by creating a strong incentive for frontline SFPD officers, inspectors, and sergeants to postpone retirement for up to five years to focus on neighborhood patrol and investigations. SFPD is severely short staffed, which endangers public safety.

Prop F will help achieve a fully staffed SFPD and enhance public safety.

A YES vote on this measure means: you want to amend the Charter to define “full-duty sworn officer”; require the Police Chief to make a report and recommend future staffing of full-duty sworn officers to the Police Commission every three years instead of two; require the Commission to report annually to the Board on Department staffing; and create a five-year program with possible renewals allowing police officers to continue working for the Department after retiring, with pension payments deferred while they are working.

Con:

Opponents argue that Proposition F is a city-hall insider re-do of a policy that’s already been tried and was a massive failure. Voting Yes on F would be a vote for an extremely expensive program that San Franciscans cannot afford, that won’t keep us safer. Proposition F would force taxpayers to pay some individual offers up to half a million dollars by allowing them to double dip into salaries and banked pension payments. San Francisco tried this program in 2008 and rightfully abandoned it in 2011 because there was no evidence that it helped retain or recruit officers. None of San Francisco’s other public safety workers - Firefighters, social workers, 911 dispatchers - receive such benefits.

A NO vote on this measure means: you do not want to make these changes.

In Depth

The City Charter requires the Police Chief to submit a report every two years to the Police Commission describing the current number of full-duty sworn officers and recommends adequate staffing levels for the next two years, for budget consideration purposes. The Charter does not define “full-duty sworn officers.” Proposition F would amend the Charter to define “full-duty sworn officer” to mean a full-time officer except those on long-term leaves of absence, recruits who are training at the Police Academy and officers assigned to the San Francisco International Airport. To reduce the administrative burden, the measure would require the Police Chief to provide a report every three years, instead of two, on current full-duty sworn officers and recommend future staffing to the Commission.

Proposition F would establish a Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP) for eligible police officers, full-duty police officers in the ranks of Officer, Sergeant and Inspector who are at least 50 years old and have at least 25 years of eligible service with the Department or another law enforcement agency. Participants would continue to work fulltime for the Department at their current salary and benefit levels while performing neighborhood patrol work or conducting investigations, regardless of their previous assignment. Participants would only be allowed to participate for up to five years. The pension payments the participant would have collected upon retirement would be placed into a tax deferred and interest-bearing account. When their DROP period ends, participants must stop work for the City and would receive their deferred monthly pension payments with interest. The Board could limit the number of DROP participants.

Prop F authorizes the DROP program for an initial five-year period. Thereafter, the Board would have the authority to continue the program every five years until it expires.

Source: Final Digest - Police Staffing and Deferred Retirement

Voter Resources

City and County of San Francisco Office of Elections