While most of City Hall focused on yesterday’s historic marriages, two events went on – one upstairs in the Board chambers and one downstairs at the Elections Department. As required by state law, the Supervisors heard hours of testimony about Mayor Newsom’s budget cuts to low-income people – a 22% across-the-board slice to programs that provide front-line health and human services. Part of this skirmish may rear its head in November – as yesterday’s 5:00 p.m. deadline for the Mayor or four Supervisors to place ordinances on the next ballot passed. Gavin Newsom introduced his Community Justice Center as an initiative – while four progressive Supervisors submitted an Ordinance to require medical treatment on demand. A measure to appropriate $1.5 million for Mental Health Trauma Recovery Services on a one-time basis also made the ballot, while the Mayor moved to oppose permanent budget set-asides. Newsom also submitted a ballot measure to re-structure the Transportation Authority – taking power away from the Board of Supervisors to manage critical transportation funds.

Yesterday’s Beilenson Hearing was a depressing sight – as the Supervisors heard from clients and service providers who are facing the chopping block with Newsom’s proposed budget. Bill Hirsh of the AIDS Legal Referral Panel said these are the biggest cuts he’s seen in his long career at the agency, and others warned that the cost will just be transferred to more police arrests and emergency hospital room visits. “Our money may be going away,” said Richard Easley of Conard House, “but our client’s needs will not.”

We see this charade happen year after year, but in the end most of these cuts get restored through the legislative “add-back” process – because we’re not really talking about a lot of money. This year, however, the cuts are far greater ($20 million as opposed to $7.4 million) – and the City’s revenue problem is more dire. Last year, hundreds of people came out to speak at these hearings – as many waited hours in line to get into the Board Chambers. This year, turnout was much smaller – and the atmosphere was more low-key.

Supervisor Chris Daly – who at last year’s Beilenson Hearing caused a ruckus with his “cocaine” speech – promised to keep his remarks civil, but reminded colleagues of a crucial point. Beilenson is a state law that every County Board of Supervisors hold a hearing before cutting indigent health services – which makes sense in other counties where the legislative body makes such decisions. But in San Francisco, with its unique “city-and-county” system, the appropriate target is the Mayor – and it is Newsom (rather than the Supervisors) who should have to listen to this testimony.

But yesterday’s hearing was not the whole story, as the City budget realities could still play out in November’s election. As mentioned before, Supervisor Aaron Peskin has proposed two revenue measures to help us out of this mess – but its details are being hashed out, and the Board still has until mid-July to have six members place it on the ballot. Yesterday, however, was the deadline for the Mayor or four Supervisors to unilaterally place ordinances on the November ballot. And judging by what the Department of Elections received by 5:00 p.m., the budget skirmish will play itself out with the voters …

Aaron Peskin, Ross Mirkarimi, Tom Ammiano and Chris Daly have sponsored a one-time budget appropriation to fund $1.5 million for Mental Health Trauma Recovery Services – something that yesterday’s hearing demonstrated a crying need. Whether it will stay on the November ballot remains to be seen, as the mere threat of its presence could give Supervisors leverage when they negotiate with the Mayor’s Office over final budget appropriations. But it would only put a dent in the Mayor’s $20 million cuts.

Meanwhile, Newsom submitted an Ordinance to fund his Community Justice Center – a measure to consolidate social services through the court system after misdemeanants get arrested. The Supervisors have been skeptical about it, given that they’re struggling with service cuts at the same time. Like the Mayor’s Small Business Center, it’s an effort to take a popular budget item to the voters – after the Supervisors won’t appropriate it legislatively.

As for indigent social services, four Supervisors – Daly, Mirkarimi, Ammiano and Jake McGoldrick – have placed a ballot measure called the “Treatment on Demand Act.” The initiative would require the Public Health Department to maintain an adequate level of medical substance abuse services and residential treatment slots. Coupled with the CJC, it could ensure that criminal defendants who are sent to community court actually get the necessary treatment they need to make that program successful.

The Mayor also submitted an Ordinance that would limit budget set-asides. Viewed as a reaction to Chris Daly’s Charter Amendment to allocate $33 million a year to affordable housing, the measure would ban future budget set-asides that don’t include a new source of revenue. According to Newsom, this would give the Mayor and the Board more flexibility to make budget allocations each year.

Finally, Newsom submitted an Ordinance to change the make-up of the Transportation Authority (SFCTA) – a body that administers $100 million a year in sales tax revenue for transportation projects. While Muni is run by a seven-member Commission entirely appointed by the Mayor (the MTA), the Board of Supervisors run the SFCTA – which gives the legislative branch some control over the City’s transportation policy.

Newsom’s Ordinance would kick the Supervisors off the Transportation Authority and replace them with five members: (1) the Mayor, (2) an elected official appointed by the Mayor, (3) the President of the Board of Supervisors, (4) an elected official appointed by the Board President, and (5) the City Treasurer. I asked City Treasurer Jose Cisneros at last night’s Harvey Milk Club Dinner what he thought about such a proposal. Incredibly, Cisneros – who Newsom appointed to his post in 2004 – had not yet been told about it.