San Francisco is 2,000 miles away from Ferguson, Mo., But in some ways, we’re not that far apart.

We all remember when Michael Brown, an unarmed young black man, was tragically shot and killed by the Ferguson police in 2014. A Justice Department investigation revealed a pattern of ticketing people for minor offenses — like having a busted taillight or high grass in their yard. If people couldn’t pay the tickets, which averaged a few hundred dollars, then the fines grew. Many people lost their driver’s licenses, their credit ratings plummeted, and they were sometimes jailed. These fines were Ferguson’s second-largest source of revenue in 2013. But this is not just a Ferguson problem.

According to emerging research, San Francisco levies more fines per capita than most California counties. Also, we assess more fines per capita than Philadelphia, Louisville, Ky., or Nashville, which are comparable city/county localities.

As treasurer, I’ve made a priority of protecting San Franciscans from predatory lenders, working with the Board of Supervisors to ban new check-cashing and payday lending businesses. As a gay Latino elected official, I couldn’t live with a financial system that preyed on people who look like me.

But I’m also the official debt collector for the city. I’ve become increasingly uncomfortable when our local government levies fines on people who cannot afford to pay them. Basically, we are guilty of a form of predatory government.

Since 2010, 48 states have increased criminal and civil court fees. Defendants are charged for a laundry list of government services that were once free. People on probation pay a monthly fee for their own supervision. People on home arrest must “rent” their ankle monitors. People can be charged for public defenders. And they can be jailed if they cannot pay their fines and fees. A recent report found that prison leaves former prisoners and their families saddled with more than $13,000 in public debt. In California, uncollected court-ordered debt for traffic and criminal offenses adds up to an estimated $10.2 billion, according to the Legislative Analyst’s Office.

In San Francisco, homeless people are fined for sleeping on sidewalks. Although the city recently lowered towing fees, they’re still some of the highest in the nation: more than $400.

If you have money, you can buy your way out of these problems. But if you don’t, the costs can pile up and bury you. And most Americans don’t. A recent survey found that 63 percent of us could not come up with $500 in an emergency.

The insidious, unintended impact of these fines is to push people into poverty. Four million Californians — 14 percent of adults — have had their driver’s licenses suspended for failing to pay fines or appear in court. Without one, it’s hard to get a job. One study found that having a driver’s license was more important for finding steady work than a high school diploma.

And while cities like Ferguson may profit from these fines, others don’t. A research paper by the White House Council of Economic Advisors found that when we try to squeeze money from low-income people who cannot pay, government often spends more to collect the revenue than we actually bring in. It makes no sense.

That’s why my office is launching the Financial Justice Project, to assess and reform how tickets, fines and fees impact struggling San Franciscans. We want to ask ourselves hard questions: What is the objective we’re trying to achieve with each fee and fine? Is there a more effective, non-monetary way to achieve that goal? Is the fine or fee in line with people’s ability to pay it? Or are they falling hardest on low-income people or people of color? My office is staffing a fines and fees task force that will recommend reforms to the mayor and the Board of Supervisors.

I know San Francisco can do better. We need to hold people accountable, but do so in a way that is fair and just, and does no lasting harm.

There’s already momentum to right-size fines and fees in San Francisco, to make sure the punishment fits the crime. The San Francisco Superior Court stopped issuing bench warrants for people who cannot afford to pay for citations for minor offenses, like jaywalking or sitting on the sidewalk. The court’s message is clear: We don’t think you should be jailed if you cannot afford to pay a ticket.

And Dennis Herrera, the San Francisco city attorney, recently decided not to defend the city against a lawsuit that challenged incarcerating people who cannot afford bail. Two-thirds of Californians sitting in jails are there not because they have been found guilty of a crime. They are simply jailed until their trial because they cannot pay bail, which averages $50,000 in our state.

After the election, it is now more important than ever that we advance solutions that reflect our values. Solutions will only come from us, and only if we put politics aside and come together. We need to balance inclusion with innovation, and compassion with common sense. We are both the city of St. Francis and the epicenter of the new economy. We need to embrace the best of both.

José Cisneros is the treasurer of the city and county of San Francisco.