Budget prioritiesOne of the biggest divides among the five candidates is how they would deal with balancing the city's budget.
Due to the health crisis, City Hall is projecting a $1.7 billion deficit over the next two years.Melgar and Nguyen both voiced opposition to cutting either city services or staffing levels.
Engardio, Murase, and Matranga all said they support making cuts to the budget, but none pinpointed what city departments or programs they would target."I do not support cuts in any department," said Melgar, adding it was not appropriate to be culling the jobs of city workers caring for the homeless and the hungry "when the rest of us" are sheltering in place. "We need to take care of those city employees and not throw them under.