San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie told CNBC’s Jim Cramer on Wednesday that his city has the funding to hire more police officers in order to improve public safety conditions and coax businesses back into town.
“We have to spend our dollars more effectively, more efficiently,” he said. “We have the money, and we will hire those police officers.”
A Levi Strauss heir and philanthropist who had never held public office, Lurie defeated San Francisco’s incumbent mayor and took office last week. He spoke on his campaign promises to solve the city’s fentanyl crisis and bolster the police force, saying the department currently has 1,400 officers but should have 2,000.
Lurie said San Francisco is facing a nearly $1 billion budget deficit, but he claimed there is enough money for public safety initiatives. And while he has issued a citywide hiring freeze, he added, it does not include positions around law enforcement or public health.
According to Lurie, business leaders will want to return to the city once more people feel safe, adding that law enforcement officials are “committed to working together to make sure we get people off the street and into mental health beds, drug treatment beds.” He said he plans to travel to other major cities to convince businesses to come back to San Francisco and said he has already spoken to major corporate leaders like JPMorgan‘s Jamie Dimon.
“We’ve fallen down over the last few years. We have neglected the important work,” Lurie said. “It’s a new day in San Francisco, and we welcome you all back.”
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