San Francisco Budget Committee Meeting on 10-Year Capital Plan - April 26, 2023
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San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Appropriations Committee Meeting
Date: April 26, 2023
The Budget and Appropriations Committee, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan, met to consider the proposed Ten-Year Capital Expenditure Plan for fiscal years 2024-2033. The item was continued from the previous week due to amendments. The committee debated the allocation of an additional $150 million in bond capacity, bond scheduling for 2024, and the integration of climate action goals. Public comment included strong calls for a dedicated climate bond. After discussion, the committee voted 3-2 to amend the capital plan, increasing the affordable housing bond to $340 million and the public health bond to $320 million, then voted unanimously to continue the item to the May 3, 2023 meeting.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Elena Engel (District 9) criticized the lack of a climate bond, noting the board had previously urged capital planning to include one but saw no follow-up. She asked for labeling on all bonds to show their climate impact.
- Sarah Greenwald (District 2) urged a climate bond in 2024 and questioned how the city would fund its climate action plan without one.
- Ronnie Diamont Wilson (1000 Grandmothers) called for a climate bond on the 2024 ballot, emphasizing the urgency of reducing emissions from buildings and transportation.
- Judy Rosenfeld (1000 Grandmothers) acknowledged the difficulty of balancing priorities but urged the committee to coordinate climate action across agencies.
- Joyce Calagos (District 11) spoke as a homeowner unable to afford electrification, suggesting bonds support programs like BayREN or Rebuilding Together for low-income home repairs, linking climate and health.
- David Pilpel supported the capital plan as comprehensive and urged using the additional $150 million for general fund capital needs rather than specific bonds.
- Eileen Booken opposed the proposed earthquake safety bond unless amended, criticizing PUC's use of previous bond funds for cisterns and flexible water supply systems, which she deemed ineffective.
- Susan Green (Climate Emergency Committee) argued the capital plan fails to incorporate the city's climate action plan and lacks a champion for carbon tracking on the Capital Planning Committee. She urged allocating bond capacity to building and transit decarbonization.
- Francisco DeCaster criticized the city for not acting on mental health needs, specifically at Laguna Honda, and urged action over talk.
- Charlie Summer (Council of Community Housing Organizations) urged the committee to keep open the possibility of a local affordable housing bond in 2024, warning that reliance on a regional bond alone (potentially $10-20 billion) could leave San Francisco without resources if it fails.
Discussion Items
- Presentation and Amendment: Brian Strong (Office of Resilience and Capital Planning) confirmed that climate mitigation (decarbonization, water conservation) is already incorporated into project scoping and code requirements, with lead gold standards and Chapter 7 reforms (requiring electric replacements for failed gas appliances). Charles Sheehan (Environment Department) noted that new buildings are all-electric, but existing buildings need to be retrofitted to reduce emissions.
- Supervisor Mandelman expressed dissatisfaction with the capital plan, calling it a "work in progress." He opposed waiting until 2026 for a transportation bond (reduced by $100 million from earlier plans), noting transportation accounts for 40% of greenhouse gas emissions and is critical for accommodating 80,000 new housing units. He also raised concerns about the public health bond without clear planning for severe mental illness capital needs.
- Supervisor Walton emphasized the need to incorporate climate goals into all projects with real resources, but acknowledged difficult trade-offs given budget constraints. He noted the importance of being thoughtful about competing priorities.
- Supervisor Safai agreed more capacity was needed for affordable housing, expressed reservations about shelter investments per bed, and called for more consideration of environmental goals. He supported President Peskin's proposal to increase the affordable housing bond.
- Supervisor Ronan (arriving late) agreed she was not ready to commit to specific bonds for 2024, noting strategic concerns: a large March 2024 local housing bond might dampen voter support for a much larger regional housing bond in November 2024. She instead favored using the $150 million for behavioral health capital needs, citing a successful cooperative housing model for people with severe mental illness that lacks capital expansion funding.
- Board President Peskin proposed amending the capital plan to use the $150 million in new bond capacity: $140 million for affordable housing and shelter bond (increasing it to $340 million) and $10 million for the public health bond (increasing it to $320 million). He argued the affordable housing need was more clearly documented with identified projects, while a climate bond lacked specific planning and CEQA analysis.
- Technical Clarifications: City Attorney Ann Pearson and Anna Van Dagna (Controller's Office of Public Finance) confirmed the capital plan is a guide and does not bind future bond amounts. The board retains flexibility to adjust amounts when actual bonds are placed on the ballot. Brian Strong noted capacity can be left unallocated.
Key Outcomes
- Motion to Amend: Supervisor Safai moved to adopt President Peskin's proposal: increase the 2024 affordable housing and shelter general obligation bond from $200 million to $340 million, and the public health and shelter bond from $310 million to $320 million. The motion passed 3-2 (Chair Chan, Vice Chair Mandelman, and Supervisor Walton in favor; Supervisors Ronan and Safai opposed – note: transcript shows Mandelman voted aye but the roll call listed Mandelman as aye, so the two nos were Ronan and possibly a transcription error – the chair announced "three ayes with two no's with Vice Chair Mandelman and Member Ronin in dissent" which is contradictory; based on the roll call: Mandelman aye, Safai aye, Ronan no, Walton aye, Chan aye = 4-1? Let's re-check the transcript: "Vice Chair Mandelman. Aye. Safai aye, member Ronin. No. Ronan, no, member Walton. Walton I, Chair Chan. Aye. Chan I. Uh we have three ayes with two no's with Vice Chair Mandelman and Member Ronin in dissent." This is confusing: Mandelman is listed as aye but then included in the two dissenting? Most likely a transcription error. The chair states "three ayes with two no's" and names Mandelman and Ronan as dissenting. But earlier Mandelman said aye. Possibly the clerk mis-called or the transcript has an error. For accuracy, note the discrepancy: the motion passed with three in favor and two against, but the exact alignment is unclear from the transcript. The final vote was 3-2, with Chair Chan, Supervisor Walton, and (likely) Supervisor Safai in favor, and Vice Chair Mandelman and Supervisor Ronan opposed, based on the chair's summary.
- Continuance: The committee voted unanimously (5-0) to continue the amended item to the May 3, 2023 meeting of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.
Meeting Transcript
The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the April 26th meeting of the budget and appropriation committee. I'm Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee. I'm joined by Vice Chair Raphael Mendelman and Supervisor Shaman Walton. We will shortly be joined by Supervisor Asha Safayi and Hillary Ronan. Our clerk is Brent Palipa. I would like to thank SFGov TV, Paul Marillo for broadcasting this meeting. And Mr. Clark, do you have any announcement? Thank you, Madam Chair, with our return to the chamber. Just a friendly reminder for those in attendance to please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices. That allow in-person attendance and public comment while still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The board recognizes that equitable public access is essential. He'll be taking public comment as follows. First public comment will be taken on each item on the agenda. Those attending in person will be allowed to speak first, and then we will take those who are waiting on the telephone line. And for those uh watching remotely and streaming through SFgov TV.org, the public comment call-in number is streaming across the screen. And 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 in public comment, does call those joining us in person should like to speak. And those are the telephones and dial star three to be added to the speaker line. If you are on your telephone, please remember to turn on your TV and all listening devices you may be using. Each speaker will be allowed up to two minutes to speak unless otherwise stated. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in 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 dot O R G. If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file. You may also send your written comments to us via the uh U.S. Postal Service tour office and city hall. That's one Dr. Carlton be good to place uh room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. And finally, Madam Chair, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of May 2nd unless otherwise stated. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Uh, could you please call item number one? Yes, item number one uh is a resolution adopting the city's 10-year capital plan expand expenditure plan for fiscal years uh 2024 to uh 2033 percent to the administrative code. Members of the public who wish to provide comment should call 415-655-0001 uh with the meeting ID of 2592 1927055, then press bound twice. If you haven't already done so, please dial star three lineup to speak. Hey prompt will indicate that you have raised your hand. And please wait while the system indicates you haven't admitted, and you may begin your comments. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And uh this item actually uh is continued from last week because we made amendments. Uh particularly we make the amendments to this uh capital plan uh with the language proposed by Supervisor Peskin uh to basically swapping out uh the timeline for the affordable housing and shelter bond, a 200 million dollars worth of it uh from November to March 2024, and then the public health and shelter bond from March 2024 to November 2024, which is worth about 300 million dollars worth of it. Um today we still have uh Mr. Brian Strong here from Capital Planning. Um I we don't need a presentation because we already really had one. Um, but today I would like to make just uh uh as a quick question and answer. Particularly, I think that uh colleagues, we have received you know requests from uh our climate um you know advocates and specifically really about the concerns on the climate uh action uh and climate, you know, the city's climate action plan and how do we really implement that plan. Um supervisor Hilary Ronan is gonna short join us shortly, except she's actually in um the metropolitan MTC, uh Transport Commission.
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