Mayor Breed and Treasurer Cisneros propose elimination and reduction of fines and fees that place disproportionate burden on people with low incomes and communities of color

Mayor London Breed announcing her proposed budget for the next two years at Willie ‘Woo Woo’ Wong playground in San Francisco’s Chinatown

Lynn Vandenberg is a 75-year-old artist who has sold her handmade jewelry in San Francisco for over forty years. In recent years, she and other artists had struggled to pay the $849 fee to sell their art in designated spaces.

Lynn celebrated this week’s announcement that Mayor London N. Breed and Treasurer José Cisneros have proposed the elimination or reduction of municipal fines and fees that have an adverse, disproportionate impact on people with low incomes and communities of color in the budget for FY 2021-2022. The street artist license fee is recommended for elimination.

“It couldn’t come at a better time,” Vandenberg told the San Francisco Chronicle. “It’s really quite wonderful with everyone struggling so much.”

The Financial Justice Project partnered with the Mayor’s Budget Office to develop these recommendations after conducting a review of municipal fines and fees across departments. As San Francisco reopens, these actions aim to lift a financial burden off of residents with low incomes who have struggled most during the COVID-19 health pandemic and ensure a strong and equitable recovery. This action is the next step in our city’s multi-year effort on fine and fee reform.

“Fines and fees impact all of us differently, and for some a single fee can have a dramatic impact that can make it hard to put food on the table or pay their rent. We know that now is the time to be investing in people who are struggling to bet back on their feet as we all do the work to lift this City out of this pandemic. We have made significant progress over the last few years to make meaningful change on fines and fees, and we will continue to make more changes over the coming year.”

- Mayor London N. Breed

The Mayor’s FY 21-22 budget proposes the elimination of the following fees:

Elimination of the Street Artist License Fee ($849), which has been historically paid by artists who are low-income, immigrants, and/or aging. This license fee permits vendors to sell their art in designated spaces to support themselves and their families. The elimination of this fee will help expand diverse and vibrant marketplaces for artists as the City reopens.
Elimination of Medical Examiner fees that are primarily charged to family and friends of deceased, typically for deceased people who were experiencing homelessness or very low-income crime victims. These fees include proof of death letter ($10), statement of non-contagion ($10), disaster bag ($67), removal of remains ($632), cremation ($1,196).
Elimination of fees associated with City ID cards ($6 for youth and $18 for adults). These fees are primarily paid by undocumented and low-income individuals and can be barriers to obtaining this form of identification.
Elimination of two Animal Care and Control fees: owner surrender of animal ($33) and dog license late fees ($32), which can be challenging to pay for low-income residents.

“Fines and fees that exceed people’s ability to pay them are often a lose-lose, for people and for government. Someone should not face a bigger consequence because their bank account is smaller. And we should not balance our budget on the backs of people who can least afford it. I’m proud of this work.”

- Treasurer José Cisneros

In addition, over the coming year, The Financial Justice Project will work with other departments, including the Department of Public Health, the Fire Department, and the Recreation and Park Department, to develop or enhance fine and fee discounts for low-income people based on their ability to pay.

Our work will continue to ensure our city's fines and fees are equitable and fair. We are grateful to the Mayor’s Budget Office and to City and County departments for their partnership on this effort.

Yours in Financial Justice,
Anne, Michelle, and Shawn

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