San Francisco Budget and Appropriations Committee Public Hearing – June 24, 2026

On June 24, 2026, the Budget and Appropriations Committee (Chair Connie Chan, Vice Chair Matt Dorsey, Members Shamon Walton, Danny Sauter, and President Rafael Mandelman) convened a public hearing to receive testimony on the mayor's proposed budget for fiscal years 2026-2027 and 2027-2028. The meeting, which began at 6:15 p.m. and ran without a lunch break, heard over 200 speakers over approximately seven hours. The chair opened by announcing the committee's rejection of several Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) policy recommendations, agreed with the respective departments, and then opened the floor for public comment.

Consent Calendar

• No consent calendar items were addressed; the meeting focused entirely on public comment and procedural motions.

Public Comments & Testimony

Public comment was dominated by opposition to proposed cuts and pleas for restoration of funding. Key themes and speakers included:

• Youth Programs: Numerous youth and supporters urged restoration of cuts to Chinatown Alleyway Tours (CATS), SF YouthWorks, and Free City College cash grants. Maggie Lee, Grace Lee, Tony, and others described how CATS built leadership, job readiness, and cultural pride. Youth commissioners (e.g., Evelyn Conboy, Harper Fort Gang) highlighted that YouthWorks serves 400 interns annually and that a proposed cut would reduce this to 80, disproportionately impacting low-income youth (90% of participants from households earning <$50,000/year).
• SRO Housing & Long-Term Subsidies: Dozens of Chinese-speaking residents (e.g., Che Hua Wu, Chen Mei Chao, Singyun Chan) asked for long-term rental subsidies for families living in single-room occupancy (SRO) units. They described overcrowding, health impacts, and the insufficiency of short-term (2–5 year) assistance, citing a federal study that 42% of short-term subsidy recipients return to homelessness.
• Immigrant Services: Speakers from the Immigrant Parent Voting Collaborative, Chinese for Affirmative Action, Arab Resource and Organizing Center, and SF Immigrant Legal and Education Network requested maintaining $500,000 over two years for voting outreach and $1.64 million for legal services and rapid response, arguing these are critical amid increased ICE enforcement.
• HIV/AIDS & Harm Reduction: Susan Englander and others vehemently opposed cuts to AIDS funding and harm reduction services, warning of increased overdoses and infections.
• Workforce & Workers' Rights: Representatives from Mission Hiring Hall, La Raza Community Resource Center, Chinese Progressive Association, and the Workers' Rights Community Collaborative (WRCC) asked for restoration of year-two funding (approximately $780,000 for Filipino services, $339,000 for Service Connection Emergency Fund, and continued support for domestic worker coalitions).
• Seniors & Disabilities: Multiple speakers demanded preservation of senior services (e.g., Coalition on Homelessness, Senior and Disability Action) and the Dignity Fund, noting that a $4.5 million cut represents only 0.028% of the city budget but devastates vulnerable residents.
• Arts & Culture: Artists and cultural workers opposed cuts to the San Francisco Arts Commission Gallery, Chinatown Media and Arts Collaborative (CMAC), and Hungry Ghosts Festival, citing economic and community benefits.
• Public Defender & Jury Access: Matt Sosna, Alma Wheeler, and others urged funding the Be the Jury program ($300,000) and increasing the Public Defender's office budget, which is only 60% of the DA's budget and faces caseload increases of 68% in misdemeanors and 52% in felonies since 2019.
• Environment & Transit: Youth commissioners requested full funding for SF Environment (including a clean transportation program manager) and for Muni service, noting 60% of SFUSD ninth graders use Muni daily.
• Police Budget Critiques: Several speakers argued the city should redirect funds from police overtime (e.g., $900,000 for new police cars) and surveillance programs (e.g., Flock Safety) to social services.

Discussion Items

Chair Chan announced the committee's rejection of specific BLA policy recommendations, as agreed with departments:

• San Francisco Public Utilities Commission: Rejected recommendations for Water Enterprise (10, 11, 12), Hetch Hetchy (10, 11, 12, 13), Public Utilities Bureau (11), and Wastewater Enterprise (7).
• Treasurer and Tax Collector: Rejected recommendations 5, 6, 7, 8.
• City Administrator: Rejected recommendations 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, 10, 11, and partially rejected recommendation 9 (Moscone facility fee reduced from $7.5M to $6.5M, with a corresponding change to General City Responsibilities Recommendation 2).
• Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD): Rejected recommendation 5 (agreeing with MOHCD).

Key Outcomes

• The committee voted unanimously (5-0) to recess the meeting and carry items 1–3, 18, 23, and 24 to the June 25, 2026 meeting at 10:00 a.m..
• No final budget decisions were made; the hearing was solely for public input.
• The chair expressed gratitude to the public and acknowledged the many speakers who took time off work.

Next Step: The committee will reconvene on June 25, 2026 to deliberate and potentially vote on the budget proposals.