San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee Meeting - October 25, 2023
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San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee Meeting - October 25, 2023
The Budget and Finance Committee, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan and joined by Board President Aaron Peskin (substituting for excused Vice Chair Mandelman), met on October 25, 2023, to consider nine agenda items. The meeting included presentations, budget and legislative analyst reports, public testimony, and votes on contract amendments, a gift acceptance, an emergency declaration, special tax bonds, and a proposed $300 million affordable housing general obligation bond for the March 5, 2024 ballot.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Items 1-2 (JCYC Opportunities for All & YMCA TARC grants): Tracy Gallardo (District 10 office) supported the OFA program, emphasizing its success in reaching disconnected youth and the need to reimburse JCYC. One speaker expressed distrust, alleging corruption. No other public comment.
- Item 3 (Harvey Milk Plaza gift): Brian Springfield (Executive Director, Friends of Harvey Milk Plaza) endorsed the gift, noting endorsements from multiple community groups. Amy Callender (SF Parks Alliance) supported the redesign's accessibility and community focus. One speaker urged transparency and conflict-of-interest declarations.
- Item 4 (Fillmore water main break emergency): One speaker noted the importance of pipe replacement with plastic materials.
- Items 6-7 (Mission Rock special tax bonds): One speaker criticized the rush, urging focus on homelessness first.
- Items 8-11 (Affordable housing bond): Numerous speakers supported the bond, including John Avalos (CCHO), Rebecca Jackson (Center on Juvenile and Criminal Justice), Erica Drate (Community Forward), and others from the Women's Housing Coalition, who highlighted the need for housing for women survivors of violence. Julian Ball (Bishop Housing) and Manson Leong (Self-Help for the Elderly) emphasized senior and family needs. Mitchell Omerberg (Affordable Housing Alliance) noted the no-property-tax-increase structure. One speaker questioned the definition of "affordable" and criticized numerical flinging.
Discussion Items
- Items 1-2: Grant Amendments - JCYC ($13.7M) and YMCA TARC ($5.4M) – DCYF and Human Rights Commission presented. The BLA noted discrepancies in participant data (800 vs. 2,200 for JCYC) and recommended a Controller's audit. The committee amended item 1 to reduce the not-to-exceed amount by $400,000 (to ~$13.3M) per BLA recommendation. Item 2 was also amended retroactively per BLA recommendation.
- Item 3: Gift Acceptance - Harvey Milk Plaza Redesign – Public Works presented the $1.275M gift of design documents. The committee expressed gratitude and added Supervisor Chan as co-sponsor.
- Item 4: Emergency Declaration - Fillmore Water Main Break – SFPUC reported a 16-inch water main break (Sept 10-11, 2023) causing major disruption; estimated repair cost $3.5M (within $5M not-to-exceed). Work nearly complete. Committee flagged the need to revisit PUC pipe maintenance prioritization in the May budget.
- Item 5: Citywide Project Labor Agreement Hearing – Continued to November 15, 2023, at Supervisor Safai's request.
- Items 6-7: Mission Rock Special Tax Bonds – Port presented a $58.335M bond issuance (fourth series) to reimburse developer horizontal infrastructure costs. ~$48M in remaining developer equity awaits phase two. Interest rates estimated at 5.86% but may be higher. Bonds are not general fund obligations.
- Items 8-11: $300M Affordable Housing Bond – Two competing proposals: Mayor's (items 8-9) and President Peskin's (items 10-11). Peskin's amendments added $30M for housing for survivors of domestic violence, labor and climate findings, and language clarifying no property tax increase. The committee tabled items 8-9 and continued items 10-11 as amended to the Nov 1, 2024 meeting.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1 (JCYC grant): Amended to reduce amount by $400,000; forwarded to full board without recommendation; Controller's office to perform a financial audit.
- Item 2 (YMCA TARC): Amended to include retroactive language; forwarded to full board with recommendation. (Vote taken after initial adjournment via resumption.)
- Item 3 (Harvey Milk gift): Forwarded to full board with recommendation (unanimous).
- Item 4 (Fillmore emergency): Forwarded to full board with recommendation (unanimous).
- Item 5 (PLA hearing): Continued to November 15, 2023 (unanimous).
- Items 6-7 (Mission Rock bonds): Forwarded to full board with recommendation (unanimous).
- Items 8-9 (Mayor's bond proposal): Tabled (unanimous).
- Items 10-11 (Peskin's bond proposal): Amended (five categories: labor, climate, women/survivors housing, senior findings, tenant pass-through clarification); continued to November 1, 2024 meeting (unanimous). Supervisors Chan and Safai added as co-sponsors.
Meeting Transcript
One and two first. Because I've got people waiting. Good morning. This meeting will come to order. Welcome to the October 25th, 2023 meeting of the budget and finance committee. I'm Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee. I'm joined by our board president, um Supervisor Aaron Paskin. Our current clerk, it's Brent Halipa. I would like to thank uh Michael Baltazar uh from SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Thank you, Madam Chair. Um on October uh 17th, 2023, the Board of Supervisors approved a motion discontinuing a remote public comment and participation at all uh board and committee meetings. Uh going forward, all public comment will be taken in person uh with remote access only being provided for those who acquire ADA accommodation for those currently in attendance. Uh public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda when your item of interest comes up and public comment is called. Uh please line up uh right along those curtains to your right, my left. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the budget and finance committee clerk at uh 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 by email, it 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 in City Hall. That's one Dr. Carlton B. Gillett place. Room two uh 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. Uh just a friendly reminder for those in attendance uh during this meeting. Uh please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices, and should you have any documents to be included as part of the file, they should be submit submitted to myself, the clerk. Uh and finally, madam chair, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of October 31st, unless otherwise stated. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clark. And before we call the items uh and go forward with the agenda today, uh, we will need to excuse Supervisor Mendelman and just wanted to clarify that uh Board President Peskin is uh joining us for this committee. Uh as a member so that we can have quorum this morning. Yes, and on that motion to excuse uh Vice Chairman Mandelman uh member Peskin. I Peskin. Aye, Chair Chan. I Chan, I uh we have two eyes with uh Vice Chair Mandelman excused. Thank you. And the motion passes. Uh with that, uh, would like to um just kind of let everyone know in the general public and our department staff that uh for the items that we have budget and legislative analyst report, which is uh which are items uh one two, four, and six through eleven on today's agenda. For these items, we will have departments presentation first, uh, and then we'll follow by the budget and legislative uh analyst, and then we will take questions and public comments. And with that, Mr. Clerk, can you please call items one and two together? Items one and two. Um one second, madam chair. Uh items one and two. Our resolutions approving amendments to contracts for the following programs and the city and county acting by and through its Department of Children, Youth, and their families with board approval under the charter. Item one approves a fourth amendment to a contract for the Japanese Community Youth Council. Opportunities for all intermediary program between the Japanese committee youth council uh to increase the grant amount by approximately 3.4 million for a total not tech seed amount of approximately 13.7 million, and with no change to the grant item. Um the item number two is a resolution approving the a seventh amendment to a contract for the YMCA Urban Services Truancy Assessment and Resource Center program to increase the grant amount by approximately 606,000 for a total not to exceed amount of approximately 4.4,000, and to grant extend the grant term for one year from July 1st, 2023 for a new term of July 1st, 2013 through June 30th, 2024.
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