San Francisco Budget and Appropriation Committee Hearing on FY26-27 and FY27-28 City Department Budgets - June 11, 2026
San Francisco Budget and Appropriation Committee Hearing on FY26-27 and FY27-28 City Department Budgets - June 11, 2026
The Budget and Appropriation Committee, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan, met on June 11, 2026, to hear presentations from multiple city departments on their proposed budgets for fiscal years 2026-27 and 2027-28. The committee reviewed departmental funding requests, reductions, and staffing changes amid significant budget challenges. Public comment was taken on all three agenda items, and the committee voted to continue the items to the next day, June 12, 2026.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Arts Commission: Multiple speakers, including artists and program managers, urged the committee to restore staffing cuts to the SFAC Galleries program, noting that eliminating two positions (including the manager of education and public programs) would reduce the program's capacity by half and harm artist support and public programming.
- MOHCD-funded Youth Programs: Several youth and coordinators from Chinatown Alleyway Tours (CATS) and related programs spoke in support of restoring MOHCD cuts, emphasizing the program's impact on leadership, public speaking, and cultural identity for low-income immigrant youth.
- Workforce Development: Representatives from the Latino Task Force and other community organizations opposed cuts to workforce development and case management programs, arguing that investments are essential for economic mobility and that Latino-serving organizations face disproportionate reductions.
- Free City College: Speakers requested full funding for the Free City College program, noting that the current budget would exclude approximately 6,000 low-income students.
- Early Childhood: Advocates urged continued investment in family, friend, and neighbor (FFN) care and highlighted unmet needs for childcare for families with non-traditional work schedules.
- Academy of Sciences: A member expressed anger over layoffs and criticized management for not considering alternatives such as executive pay cuts.
Discussion Items
- Recreation and Park Department: Presenters detailed a $284 million operating budget for FY27 and $282.6 million for FY28, highlighting a 10.5% attrition rate, 1,969 total staff, and a structural deficit driven by rising PUC utility costs. The department is implementing paid parking in Golden Gate Park beginning January 2027 and reported a 9% increase in golf revenue from dynamic pricing.
- Asian Art Museum: Director So Young Lee reported a $13.1 million city budget (one-third of total operating budget) and noted a 51% increase in school program participation. Chair Chan recommended a public-private partnership for capital maintenance, similar to SF General Hospital.
- Fine Arts Museums: Director Tom Campbell reported 1.5 million visitors in 2025, ranking 7th most visited art museum in the U.S. The proposed budget is $26.6 million, up 8.5% due to capital support. Chair Chan expressed a desire for labor harmony.
- Academy of Sciences: Interim Executive Director Amber Mace confirmed 53 layoffs (5.9 million in savings) to address an $8 million structural deficit. The city provides about 10% of the Academy's budget ($9.04 million for FY27). Chair Chan proposed a BLA audit and potentially placing city funding on reserve, citing concerns over layoffs, unrestricted endowment ($50 million), and the sale of a Pacific Heights mansion. Supervisor Sauter criticized the Academy's withdrawal from the Museums for All program.
- Arts Commission: Presenters outlined the merger of three agencies into a unified Department of Arts and Culture with a total budget of $29.5 million for FY27. Cuts include elimination of filled positions and reductions to grant programs. Chair Chan encouraged a balanced approach supporting both institutions and local artists.
- War Memorial: Managing Director Kate Sofis presented a budget with a $1.2 million reduction in general fund support, increased recycling costs, and ongoing capital projects. The venue saw increased attendance and diversification of programming.
- Department of Early Childhood: Director Ingrid Mejia reported a $343.6 million budget for FY27, with 85% going to grants and no cuts to CBOs. The department expanded tuition assistance to families earning under 200% of AMI and raised teacher wages by 16%. Capital reserves include $10 million each for childcare sites at Zuckerberg SF General Hospital, Laguna Honda Hospital, and OMI Public Library.
- Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing: Director presented an $835.3 million budget for FY27, with new investments in prevention, interim housing, and supportive housing using Our City Our Home funds. The budget deletes 8 vacant positions and transfers 11 positions to DPH. Staffing has decreased 11% over two years despite budget growth.
- Department of Public Health: Director outlined a $3.7 billion total budget with a $251 million increase in general fund support to backfill federal cuts. The department eliminated 130 FTE positions (103 vacancies, 23 reassignments) with only 4 layoffs. CBO reductions totaled $20 million, with most achieved through efficiencies and funding swaps rather than service cuts. HIV services maintained at roughly $84 million.
- Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development: Presented a $218 million proposed budget for FY27, a $41 million increase driven by Prop G revenues, loan repayments, and debt service. Cuts include $2.6 million in one-time grants and $3.7 million in community-based services grants. Three layoffs and three vacant position deletions were implemented. Digital equity work will continue under the Department of Technology.
- Human Rights Commission: Director Mawuli Tobin and Dr. Diana Oroce presented a unified budget of $29.5 million for FY27, reflecting a $5.2 million reduction. Cuts include $2 million from YouthWorks (reducing slots) and reductions to community empowerment grants and Juneteenth events. The Office of Transgender Initiatives expects increased demand due to anti-trans legislation nationwide.
- Department of Children, Youth and Their Families: Director Sharice Thursey-Smith reported no cuts to CBO programs and a budget that maintains 144 agencies and 258 programs. The department merged two units and added positions for technical assistance. A reserve of approximately $18 million exists for the Student Success Fund. Free City College funding is $6.7 million, short of full funding by over $2 million.
- Office of Economic and Workforce Development: Executive Director presented a budget with $10 million in general fund cuts, including 19 position eliminations (9 layoffs) and reductions to small business assistance and workforce programs. Legacy business stabilization fund cut by 50%. Workforce development investments increased by $2.6 million overall. Supervisor Walton requested demographics of layoffs; Director reported that 75% of staff are people of color, and among laid-off filled positions, 2 were Asian American, 4 African American, 2 Hispanic, and 2 white.
Key Outcomes
- The committee voted to continue items 1-3 to the June 12, 2026 meeting (motion passed 4-0, with Supervisor Walton absent).
- Chair Chan announced that the enterprise departments' acceptance of Budget and Legislative Analyst recommendations would be recorded for the record: Airport accepts recommendations 1,3,5,7,9; Water Enterprise accepts 1,4,5,7,8 with partial acceptance of 9 and rejection of 2,3,6,8; Public Utilities accepts 1-5,7,9,10 with rejection of 6 and 8. Counter-offers were made to balance rejections.
- Chair Chan proposed a budget and legislative analyst audit of the Academy of Sciences and indicated that city funding may be placed on reserve until the audit is completed, similar to the approach used for the San Francisco Zoo.
- Chair Chan committed to fully funding the Free City College program in the next two fiscal years.
- Vice Chair Dorsey and Supervisor Walton raised questions about the effectiveness of the RV strategy and what steps are taken for unpermitted RVs; HSH agreed to work with other departments to provide an answer.
- Several supervisors expressed support for restoring certain cuts, but no final funding decisions were made at this hearing.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the June 11 2026 meeting of the budget and appropriation committee. I am Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee, and I'm joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Matt Dorsey, and members, Supervisors, Danny Sauter, Shaman Walton, and Cheyenne Chin. Our clerk is Brent Halipa. Thank you, Madam Chair. Just a friendly reminder to those in attendance to please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices to prevent interruptions to our proceedings. And should you have any documents to be included as part of the file? This should be submitted to myself, the clerk. Public comment will be taken for today's meeting. And when 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 required to provide public comment, we do invite you to fill out a comment card and leave them on the trade by the television to your left by those doors. If you wish for your name to be accurately recorded for the minutes, 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.j. at SFGOV.org. If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official files. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office in City Hall at 1 Dr. Carlton Bigelith. Place room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. And Madam Chair, that concludes my announcements. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And before we start, we will need to excuse President Rafael Mendelman for today's meeting. I would like to make the motion to excuse him. Second by Vice Chair Dorsey and a roll call, please. And on that motion by Chair Chan, seconded by Vice Chair Dorsey. Do we excuse Supervisor Mandelman from attending today's meeting? Vice Chair Dorsey. Dorsey, I. Member Sauter. Sauter. I member Walton. Walton. I member Chen. Chen. I, Chair Chan. I. Chan. I we have five eyes. The motion passes. And so with that, I would also like to announce that for today, public comment will be limited to one minute. And now Mr. Clerk, please call items one through three together. Items one through three. And item number three is the proposed annual salary ordinance enumerating positions in the AAO for the fiscal years ending June 30th, 2027 and June 30th, 2028. Continuing creating or establishing these positions, enumerating and including therein all positions created by the charter or state law for which compensations are paid from the city and county funds and appropriated in the AAO. Authorizing appointments are continuation of appointments there too, specifying and fixing the compensations and work schedules thereof and authorizing appointments to temporary positions and fixing compensations. Madam Chair. Thank you, and Mr.
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