San Francisco BOS Budget and Appropriations Committee Hearing on Youth Commission Budget Priorities - March 22, 2023
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
San Francisco BOS Budget and Appropriations Committee Hearing on Youth Commission Budget Priorities - March 22, 2023
The Budget and Appropriations Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors held a hearing on March 22, 2023, at 4:00 PM, to receive the San Francisco Youth Commission's budget and policy priorities for fiscal years 2023-2024 and 2024-2025. The committee was chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan, with Supervisors Hilary Ronen, Shamann Walton, Vice Chair Rafael Mandelman, and Supervisor Ahsha Safai present. The Youth Commission presented a comprehensive set of recommendations organized by its committees, focusing on transportation, housing, justice, civic engagement, and LGBTQ+ issues.
Presentation by the Youth Commission
The Youth Commission, led by Chair Emily Wynne (District 11), presented its annual budget and policy priorities report, which was finalized on March 6, 2023. Commissioners from four committees and a task force detailed the following key proposals:
-
Housing, Recreation & Transit (HRT) Committee:
- Restore 100% of Muni service, especially lines critical for youth like the 28R (which served 40% youth riders).
- Expand the school tripper program to ensure equitable distribution.
- Fund studies for car-free streets (e.g., JFK Drive saw 36% more daily active trips after car-free designation).
- Provide funding to fully implement and maintain Slow Streets.
- Improve and promote large parks, particularly John McLaren Park, which was viewed as dangerous and unkept.
- Restore the 76X bus to Marin Headlands, which served one-third of households without cars.
- Explore public transit access to Camp Mather for employees and families.
- Open an additional navigation center for transitional-age youth (TAY) to supplement the one at 700 Hyde Street, hire more case managers, and allocate funding for permanent services at supportive housing.
- Urge Vision Zero progress: traffic deaths in 2022 tied a decade high at 32; enforce "Focus on the Five" traffic violations; support automated speed enforcement.
- Continue and make permanent the Free Muni for Youth program (61% of current users did not participate in the previous means-tested program).
- Study removal of the central freeway, citing past successes like the Embarcadero and Octavia Boulevard.
-
Transformative Justice (TJ) Committee:
- Fund community-based alternatives to youth incarceration; note that juvenile hall remains open with only 22 youth in a 150-bed facility.
- Implement a Narcan program in all San Francisco schools, citing that fentanyl is responsible for 77% of teen drug-related deaths nationally and rising overdoses locally.
- Restore Bayview Hunters Point: implement the 2021-2022 civil grand jury report; ensure environmental safety for future developments; fund community initiatives like the Bayview Hunters Point Environmental and Climate Justice Leadership Academy.
-
Civic Engagement & Education (CEC) Committee:
- Oversee and invest in school safety infrastructure; SFPD responded to 790 violent crime incidents at SFUSD schools since 2013, and many schools lack basic systems like PA systems and remote door buzzers.
- Require safe firearm storage information be sent to families; state law now mandates this.
- Restart the Safer Schools Task Force on sexual assault and harassment; in 2022, SFUSD investigated only 5 of 24 Title IX complaints.
- Increase voter pre-registration: a Youth Commission survey found 60% of eligible youth were not pre-registered, half because they didn't know they could.
- Put a charter amendment on the ballot to lower the voting age to 16 (lost by less than 1% in 2020).
- Increase funding for diverse mental health staff in schools; a survey showed wellness centers do not meet cultural or linguistic needs.
-
LGBTQ+ Task Force:
- Grant $350,000 to the LGBTQIA+ Coalition on Safety for security infrastructure and staffing (Lyric Center received five bomb threats in 2022).
- Implement inclusive middle school health curriculum; only 10% of lessons cover queer identity.
- Hire properly credentialed health teachers; many schools use uncredentialed staff.
- Create safe spaces in schools and connect with organizations like Lyric and the LGBT Center.
- Assess school climate using tools like the GLSEN School Climate Survey.
Discussion by Committee Members
Supervisors commended the Youth Commission for its thorough presentation and commitment. Supervisor Ronen noted she had to leave early. Vice Chair Mandelman left early but expressed support for transportation and LGBTQ+ priorities. Supervisor Walton praised the youth for their social justice work, especially on issues affecting underserved communities. Supervisor Safai provided detailed feedback, noting that a seat for transitional-age youth was created on the new Homelessness Oversight Commission, suggested studying the submersion of the central freeway rather than removal, pointed to Crystal Springs as an alternative recreation area, and emphasized that mental health funding (e.g., the Seneca program cut) will be a budget priority. Supervisor Chan urged the Youth Commission to brief all supervisors and the Mayor's office before her proposed budget on June 1, 2023, and to track future budget hearings. Chair Wynne asked how to keep recommendations a priority; Safai suggested ongoing follow-up with all supervisors and public comment.
Key Outcomes
- The hearing was filed by motion of Chair Chan, seconded by Supervisor Safai, with a vote of 3-0 (Supervisors Ronen and Mandelman absent).
- The committee received the Youth Commission's budget and policy priorities report and will consider them during the city's budget process.
- No public comments were made.
- The meeting adjourned at approximately 5:00 PM.
Meeting Transcript
The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the March 22nd, 2023 meeting of the uh uh for the budget and appropriation committee. I'm Supervisor Connie Chan, chair of the committee. I am joined by Supervisors Hilary Ronin and Shaman Walton. Our clerk, it's Brent Halipa. I would like to thank uh Matthew Eno uh from SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcement? Yes, madam chair. Uh just a friendly reminder for those in attendance to uh um please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices and also kindly refrain from any flash photography. Uh the board of supervisors and its committees are now convening hybrid meetings that allow in-person attendance and public comment, who are still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The board recognizes that equitable public access is essential and will be taking public comment as follows. First public comment will be taken um on this hearing on this agenda. Uh, those attending in person will be allowed to speak first, then we will take those who are waiting on the telephone line for those watching either channels 26, 28, 78, or 99, and SFGovTV.org. The public comment call in number is streaming across the screen. That number is 415, 65501. Again, that's 415. 65501. Enter the meeting ID of 2498-202-4187, then pound and pound again. When connected, you will hear the meeting discussions, but you'll be muted and in listening mode only when your item of interest comes up and public comment is called. Those joining us in person should line up, and those on the telephone should dial star three to also be added to the speaker line. If you're on your telephone, please remember to turn down your TV and all listening devices may be using. And each speaker will be allowed up to two minutes to speak unless otherwise stated alternatively. You may submit public comment and write again, either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the budget and appropriations committee clerk at B R E N T dot J A L I P A at S F G O V dotor G. If you submit public comment via email, he will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file. He may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office and city hall. That's one. Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. And Madam Chair, that concludes my announcements. Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk. I want to acknowledge that uh this is not our typical budget and appropriation committee time, and we're here at 4 p.m. And uh to so that we can actually welcome for this uh special item on the agenda, which with with our San Francisco Youth Commission, and just really want to thank uh just all the commissioners for your service, not just for this report, but really for all your service uh and thank you so much. I think this is a very critical time to have your voice. Uh, and I want to acknowledge Vice Chair Mandelman uh who's just joining us now, and I think we will be shortly joined by Supervisor Asa Asha Safai. And so with that, I'm gonna actually introduce the chair of the youth commission, uh Chair Emily Wynne, and she will actually um introduce the um rest of the commissioners. But before we start, I just want to also acknowledge uh Supervisor Hillary Ronin and uh for her remarks. Thank you. Thank you. I um just wanted to say briefly our office didn't get the memo about the change of time. So I have to leave at around 440 today. Hopefully, I will get the bulk of this, but I wanted to apologize in advance and just tell you how excited I am about today. And um, you know, we'll watch anything I miss, but hopefully it will get through most of it. Thank you. Thank you. Actually, uh apologies, ma'am chair.
openpublica.com