Proposition N would create a fund to help police officers, firefighters, paramedics, sheriffs, nurses and 911 dispatchers employed by the city pay off their student loan debt, with the goal of attracting new hires amid staffing shortages.
Supervisor and mayoral candidate Ahsha Safaí, who co-authored the measure, described dire staffing shortages among first responders during a Board of Supervisors meeting in July.
”Our public safety and health care ecosystem is severely strained right now, and we need to create incentives to prevent a catastrophic breaking point and ensure that we can attract and retain excellent, qualified candidates to serve our city’s public safety ecosystem.”
To qualify for loan forgiveness, first responders would need to start working for the city in 2025 or beyond, and remain employed there for at least three consecutive years. The fund would pay off at most $25,000 per person.
Prop N doesn’t have a funding mechanism. The mayor and Board of Supervisors could later decide to put money into the fund, or it could receive donations from private philanthropy. Once the fund gets $1 million, the city can start paying off debt.
The Controller’s Office estimated that it would cost $315,000 annually to administer the fund after the program had been set up.
Prop N is supported by several members of the Board of Supervisors, as well as Service Employees International Union Local 1021 and a number of other local unions representing first responders.
The “Yes on N” campaign committee had raised $101,000, with $50,000 coming from the San Francisco Deputy Sheriffs Political Action Committee.
The proposition’s official opponent Larry Marso argued that Prop N fails to address underlying issues that lead to student loan debt among first responders, like rising education costs and inadequate compensation.
Supervisors Hillary Ronen, Rafael Mandelman, Myrna Melgar and Aaron Peskin voted against putting the measure on the ballot. While they don’t oppose Proposition N, Supervisors Peskin, Melgar and Mandelman expressed concern about overloading the ballot.
Peskin, another mayoral hopeful, said it was unnecessary to put the issue before voters when the supervisors could establish the fund on their own. Mandelman agreed, and said that he didn’t see why voters needed to weigh in on this issue.
Prop N needs a simple majority to pass.
This election brief was reported by San Francisco Public Press reporter Madison Alvarado. Read the full analysis for Prop N here.