San Francisco Mayor talks bolstering police force: ‘We have the money’ [Video]

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 …