Quote: San Francisco's mayor has ordered city departments including police and public health to propose budget cuts of $206 million by next week in a desperate attempt to reverse the stricken city's 'doom loop' spiral into economic collapse. Law enforcement budgets in the city, which is ravaged by homelessness, drugs and a downtown business exodus, face cuts of $27.6 million, while the public health department could lose a further $25.9 million, according to a DailyMail.com analysis.

The fire department must propose reductions of around $10.5 million to meet the mayor's demand, while city's crumbling Municipal Transport Agency must find savings of $15.5 million, a review of official figures suggests.

In a letter dated October 11, Mayor London Breed ordered departments to propose massive cuts to this year's budgets in order to prevent San Francisco reaching a $500 million deficit by 2025.

The radical cuts mark an embarrassing change of tack from Breed, who is now forced to tear up the record-breaking $14.6 billion annual budget she signed off just three months ago. Department heads across the city have until Thursday, October 26 to propose their cuts.