The budget choice lands alongside a separate political test: two June ballot races for Board of Supervisors seats that analysts and observers say could determine how much leverage Lurie holds over City Hall for the remainder of his term. The SF Standard reported this week that the outcomes in those districts may prove as consequential for the mayor's agenda as any single policy fight.

Lurie took office in January with a thin electoral mandate and a board whose alignment with his office remains unsettled. If candidates aligned with the mayor's priorities win in June, his administration gains a more reliable path for legislation and appointments. If they don't, the dynamic at the board shifts — and the budget negotiations that follow could get harder.

The immigrant legal services line is a concrete data point heading into that uncertainty. The program connects low-income immigrants facing deportation proceedings with attorneys. Maintaining it in a deficit year is a choice that carries both policy and political weight, though the office has not specified the dollar figure it intends to hold.

What to watch: The mayor's full budget proposal is expected before the June 1 charter deadline. The Board of Supervisors Budget and Appropriations Committee will then hold hearings through the summer. The two supervisor races are on the June 3 ballot — results will start shaping the board math the same week the budget enters committee.