S.F. sheriff set to blow past overtime budget by 146%

"The department is projected to spend $60.2 million on overtime for the fiscal year 2025 to 2026 - 146 percent more than the $41.2 million the Board of Supervisors approved. This comes as Mayor Daniel Lurie has asked for significant belt-tightening and is seeking hundreds of millions in cuts across city departments."

"For the sheriff's department, "significant and immediate operational changes would be required to reduce overtime expenditures to remain within budget," read the report. The controller wrote that any savings from leaving vacant positions unfilled and drawing from reserves "will be insufficient" to stay within budget."

"The sheriff's department and SFPD routinely overspend departmental overtime budgets by tens of millions of dollars. The departments then ask the city to shore up their budgets to account for the overrun. Last year, even tough-on-crime city supervisors blasted the San Francisco Police Department and sheriff's department when they sought an additional $91 million from the board."

The San Francisco sheriff's department has nearly depleted its overtime budget two-thirds through the fiscal year and is projected to spend $19 million more than budgeted. The department is on track to spend $60.2 million on overtime—146 percent above the $41.2 million approved by the Board of Supervisors. Mayor Daniel Lurie is demanding significant budget cuts across city departments, including $100 million in staffing reductions. The controller's report indicates that significant operational changes are necessary to reduce overtime spending and remain within budget. Leaving positions vacant and drawing from reserves will be insufficient to address the shortfall. The sheriff's department and police department have a pattern of routinely overspending overtime budgets by tens of millions, then requesting supplemental increases from the board.

Read at Mission Local