Hundreds gathered outside San Francisco General Hospital Wednesday to push back against layoffs and proposed budget cuts that will harm the city’s most vulnerable residents.
From city workers to community members, folks gathered in a collective voice to emphasize the importance of “serve those in need, not corporate greed.” They called on city leaders to reverse the cuts, and make the public services a priority over the cuts.
With picket signs in favor for Proposition D, and united chants, the entire roundabout of the hospital was filled. The rally, intentionally held on Tax Day, centered around a message organizers and community leaders repeated “rise up, shut it down, San Francisco is a union town.”
The rally and march came just weeks after Mayor Daniel Lurie’s administration issued layoff notices to more than 100 city workers across 18 different departments. These cuts threaten programs that serve unhoused youth, seniors, and medically vulnerable patients, specifically at Laguna Honda Hospital.
Among those affected is Maria Elena Healy, a registered nurse who has worked at Laguna Honda for 10 years. “I am just one of the few who have been laid off. They are eliminating an entire department,” Healy said. “These people will no longer have the specialty nursing care that we provide.
“There will no longer be a clinical nurse expert in these fields anymore. Without that evidence-based practice, the cutting-edge care is going to be missing. It just does not make sense, said Healy.
Speakers at the rally noted that the cuts will extend beyond hospitals. Sophia Padilla, a licensed therapist at the Michael Baxter Larkin Clinic, said “we serve mainly transient unhoused youth. If this clinic shuts down, it would be devastating for the community.”
Protesters are urging city officials to support proposition D, a measure that could generate $300 million annually to offset federal tax cuts under Donald Trump’s H.R. 1. They’re also calling on the city to tap into the $1.4 billion in reserves to immediate service reductions.
The energy of the crowd was filled with resilience, passion, and determination. “We have to make it impossible for these cuts to take place,” said Theresa Rutherford, president of SEIU 1021, one of the union groups that organized the rally.
As the march moved along the surrounding blocks of the hospital, the message remained the same. The importance of public services staying open, stopping the layoffs, and encouraging voters to vote yes on Proposition D. “This is about who San Francisco is choosing to protect,” a speaker told the crowd. “And right now, it is not the people who need it most.”
As the rally came to an end, organizers said the work was not finished. Rutherford left the crowd with three important calls to actions. “Just like we showed up today, on April 20th at the Health Commission at City Hall. We need to pack the chambers. On May 1st—no school, no work, no shopping. The final call to action, voting yes on D and knocking on doors”.
