Mayor Daniel Lurie and Gov. Gavin Newsom are facing budget crises that threaten basic services, and as they prepare for brutal cuts, they are also facing a serious adversary: Organized labor.

In rallies at City Hall and at the last Board of Regents meeting, broad coalitions of local and statewide union members have opposed the deep cuts that have already impacted essential programs and may lead to layoffs.

On May 14, more than 1,000 city workers essentially took over City Hall with a boisterous rally that included a banner drop over the rotunda—aimed directly at Lurie.

The next day, more than a dozen local and state labor leaders, including Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Labor Federation, were arrested at a meeting of the Board of Regents demanding adequate staffing at the

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