San Francisco Budget Committee Hearing on Community Safety and Well-Being - May 8, 2024
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San Francisco Budget and Appropriations Committee Hearing on Community Safety and Well-Being - May 8, 2024
This was the third and final hearing to prepare the committee for the annual budget process, focusing on community safety and the network of programs serving youth, families, immigrants, and vulnerable residents. The meeting featured presentations from four city departments and a community coalition, followed by extensive public testimony from over 100 speakers. The hearing began at 9:45 AM and lasted into the afternoon.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Over 100 members of the public testified, with the majority opposing proposed cuts to youth, immigrant, and community safety programs. Many speakers identified as youth or representatives of community-based organizations.
- Numerous youth speakers described how after-school programs, workforce development, and LGBTQ+ youth services provided safe spaces, mentorship, and life-changing opportunities. They urged the committee to restore funding, warning that cuts would lead to increased homelessness, crime, and loss of hope.
- Several speakers from the People's Budget Coalition (including Coleman Advocates, SF Latino Parity and Equity Coalition, IFPT Local 21, SEIU 1021, Lyric, and PODER) argued that true community safety requires investment in social services, not policing. They highlighted that DCYF received 414 million in proposals but only funded 92 million (22%), with severe impacts on transitional-age youth, LGBTQ+ youth, and immigrant communities.
- Representative from IFPT Local 21 proposed transitioning Urban Alchemy contracted positions into city staff roles (community ambassadors and transit ambassadors) citing labor concerns and potential cost savings.
- Practitioners from Urban Alchemy testified in support of their program, emphasizing their role in de-escalation, overdose reversal, and providing employment for formerly incarcerated individuals. They cited 958,000 positive engagements and 43,000 de-escalations between January 2023 and January 2024.
- Parents and community members from the Immigrant Parent Voting Collaborative and various cultural organizations spoke in favor of continued funding for language access, citizenship services, and legal representation for immigrants.
Discussion Items
- Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF): Director Maria Sue presented the budget journey. In FY 2023-24, DCYF had ~$210 million total budget, with $136 million in grants. For FY 2024-25, the proposed budget drops to $182 million, including $92 million in grants. DCYF received 700 proposals requesting $414 million annually but allocated $92 million to 142 agencies for 231 programs (22% of requested dollars). Priority areas include after-school programs, youth workforce development, and justice services. The School Crisis Support Initiative was highlighted as a multidisciplinary safety approach. DCYF noted they received 130 appeals from unfunded organizations, with results expected by next week.
- Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD): Director Sheila Nicolopoulos presented the San Francisco Immigrant Legal and Education Network (SFILEN) and the San Francisco Immigrant Legal Defense Collaborative (SFILDC). In FY 2022-23, SFILEN served 1,167 unduplicated clients; SFILDC served 933 clients. Current total funding is $8.5 million. MOHCD proposed no general fund decreases to these programs for FY 2024-25.
- Office of Economic and Workforce Development (OEWD): COO Chris Otano reported a base budget cut target of $4.4 million. OEWD conducted three community town halls. Proposed cuts total $650,000: $600,000 from community economic development and $50,000 from workforce development, estimated to affect 102 clients. Workforce development programming was cut $1.85 million overall.
- Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCIA): Director Jorge Rivas described programs including the Community Ambassador Program (35 ambassadors, on track for 250,000 interactions this year), Pathway to Citizenship (340 citizenship applications, 650 consultations), DreamSF Fellowship, and language access. To meet the 10% reduction target, OCIA proposed $695,000 in grant reductions and $380,000 from the Community Ambassador Program, totaling $1.075 million, with no service delivery impact stated.
- Supervisor Remarks:
- Supervisor Walton questioned DCYF on TAY funding reductions; Director Sue said no reductions were made but acknowledged shifts. Walton also noted the District 10 Safety Plan partnership. He asked MOHCD if the mayor would accept their recommendation of no cuts (they said yes). He questioned OEWD on why workforce cuts were largest; OEWD said cuts were proportionate.
- Supervisor Melgar expressed concern about youth program cuts, stating that slashing youth leadership and employment programs undermines recent violence prevention efforts. She pledged to fight for restoration.
- Supervisor Walton criticized attacks on organizations of color and labor, stating it was "disgusting" to balance the budget on their backs.
Key Outcomes
- The hearing was filed (recorded as heard and filed) by a vote of 3-0 (Supervisors Chan, Melgar, Walton in favor; Supervisors Mandelman and Peskin absent).
- DCYF's RFP appeal process is ongoing, with 130 appeals under review; results expected by the week of May 13, 2024.
- No formal budget decisions were made; the hearing served to gather input for the upcoming budget process starting next week with enterprise departments.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the May 8th 2024 meeting of the budget and appropriation committee. I'm Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee. I'm joined by Supervisors Mana Malgar and Shaman Walton and President Press President Aaron Peskin. Our clerk is Brent Halipa. I like to thank Kalina Mendoza from SFGGOF TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcement? Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a fairly reminder to those in attendance to please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices to prevent interruptions during our proceedings. Should you have any documents to be included as part of the file that should be submitted to myself, the clerk. Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda when your item of interest comes up and public comment is called. Please line up to speak on the west side of the chamber to your right, my left along those curtains. And while not necessary to uh provide public comment, we do invite you to fill out a comment card and leave them on the tray by the television to your left if you wish to be accurately recorded in the minutes. Um 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 SFGO V dot or G. If you submit public comment by email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file. He may also send pardon your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office and city hall. That's one Dr. Carlton B. Good look. Place room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. And before I hand this back to the chair, uh, just a general announcement. We do have a rule about standing in the chamber. So if you find any room in any of those benches, please have a seat. Otherwise, we do have overflow uh available across the room where you can watch the proceedings, and when we open public comment, you can uh enter the chamber and line up. Thank you so much. And with that, that concludes my announcements, Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And with that, please call item number one. Yes, item number one is a hearing on the city's budgetary decisions during oh, sorry, the number one is a hearing on the city's budgetary decisions regarding funding of essential city services that prioritize community safety and well-being, including community programs that prevent crime, uh, provide family youth and transition age youth services, and support the city's immigrant and limited English proficient residents. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Um, seeing that this is the only item on today's agenda, and that we see that there's which I'm grateful for uh a large turnout today. Um I would like to limit today's public comments to one minute. And just want to make sure we announce that in advance. Colleagues, this is the third and final hearing to help this committee to get prepared for our annual budget process, which will get started next week. When we hear from our May departments, which are also our enterprise departments. Um, in the meantime, this has been a great insight into the conversation happening between the departments, our community stakeholders, and the mayor's budget office. This week uh's focus is on community safety and the network of programs and services that help keep our youth, families, seniors, and residents safe. After the presentation, the city uh after the presentation that we have today, I ask committee members to hold their questions until the public comment so that we can hear from people who are directly impacted by these services and any cuts or increase that may be decided upon by policymakers. With that, let's go to our our first presentation. Um Department of Children, Youth and Their Families. Sorry, I'm gonna open up my presentation now. Mr. Clerk, can you oh perfect?
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