San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee Meeting – May 1, 2024: PFAS Ban, Housing Grants, and Emergency Repairs
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San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee Meeting – May 1, 2024
The Budget and Finance Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on May 1, 2024, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan, with Vice Chair Rafael Mandelman, Supervisor Mirna Melgar, and Board President Aaron Peskin in attendance. The committee reviewed 15 agenda items, including a first-in-the-nation ordinance to phase out PFAS chemicals from firefighter protective gear, emergency repair funding for a water main break at Pine Lake Park, multiple housing and homeless service grants, and contract amendments for reentry housing programs. The committee forwarded most items to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation, with one item advanced without recommendation.
Key Discussion Items and Votes
Item 1 – Ordinance to Ban PFAS in Firefighter PPE (File 240299)
- Board President Aaron Peskin introduced the ordinance, which would prohibit the Fire Department from using or providing personal protective equipment containing intentionally added PFAS by June 30, 2026. Fire Chief Janine Nicholson and Adam Wood of the San Francisco Firefighters Cancer Prevention Foundation testified in support, noting that cancer is the leading cause of occupational death for firefighters and that PFAS chemicals in turnout gear are a major contributor. The cost of replacing approximately 3,500 turnout sets is estimated at $10.2–$11.5 million, offset by a $2.3 million FEMA grant. The BLA report noted that the city has paid $12.3 million in cancer claims over the past decade. The committee unanimously voted to forward the ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation.
Item 2 – Emergency Declaration for Pine Lake Park Slope Repair (File 240343)
- The SFPUC requested approval of an emergency declaration following a March 8, 2024 water main break that caused slope erosion, tree damage, and exposed utility lines. The total estimated cost is $5 million, funded by water revenue bonds. The BLA recommended approval. The committee voted unanimously to forward the resolution to the full board.
Item 3 – Grant from Crankstart Foundation to Public Defender’s Pretrial Release Unit (File 240380)
- Retroactive authorization to accept $150,000 to fund a full-time attorney position in the Pretrial Release Unit, which provides early representation and referrals to job training and substance abuse programs for detained individuals. The committee voted unanimously to forward with recommendation.
Item 4 – Grant from Bay Area Young Survivors for Golden Gate Park Seating Area (File 240303)
- Authorization to accept an additional $300,000 (total $800,000) for a renovated seating area honoring young breast cancer survivors. The committee voted unanimously to forward.
Item 5 – Grant Amendment to Compass Family Services – Family Housing Ladder (File 240338)
- Amendment to increase funding by $7 million (total $13.1 million) and extend the term through June 2026 for a scattered-site supportive housing program serving up to 70 families annually. The BLA noted initial underperformance but recent improvement. The committee voted unanimously to forward.
Item 6 – Grant Amendment to Compass Family Services – Flexible Housing Subsidy Pool (File 240337)
- Amendment to increase funding by $20.2 million (total $29.2 million) and extend the term through June 2026 for rental subsidies and case management for 165 families. The BLA noted improved performance. The committee voted unanimously to forward.
Item 7 – Accept Grant from CA HCD for Transbay Block 2 East Affordable Housing (File 240373)
- Authorization to accept $41 million in loan and grant funding (including $28 million loan to the project) for a 184-unit affordable family housing development at 200 Folsom Street, with 40 units for families experiencing homelessness. The committee voted unanimously to forward.
Item 8 – Loan and Grant for 1633 Valencia Permanent Supportive Housing (File 240374)
- Approval of a $41 million loan and $80.8 million local operating subsidy grant for a 145-unit permanent supportive housing project for seniors (55+) at 1633 Valencia Street. The BLA noted the city is not retaining land ownership and that the per-unit subsidy ($372,000) is higher than typical. Discussion included lessons learned from the similar 833 Bryant project and concerns about overconcentration of high-needs tenants. Supervisor Mandelman expressed concerns, but the committee voted 2-0 (with Vice Chair Mandelman absent) to forward with recommendation.
Items 9-12 – HUD Entitlement Grants (CDBG, HOPWA, HOME, ESG)
- Approval to apply for and accept FY2024-2025 grants totaling $25.6 million (CDBG), $13.3 million (HOPWA), $7.8 million (HOME), and $1.8 million (ESG). The committee voted unanimously to forward all four.
Item 13 – Grant Amendment to Tenderloin Housing Clinic – Justice-Involved Transitional Housing (File 240152)
- Amendment to increase funding by $1.2 million (total $11.1 million) through June 30, 2024, for the Drake Hotel and Hart Hotel programs. The BLA recommended against approval, citing underperformance (high vacancies, low placements into permanent housing). Adult Probation attributed delays to staffing shortages and COVID-19. The committee voted 2-0 (with Vice Chair Mandelman absent) to forward the resolution without recommendation, with Chair Chan and Supervisor Melgar expressing concerns about accountability and urging a new RFP process.
Items 14-15 – Grant Amendments to Westside Community Mental Health Center (MINA and TRP Programs)
- Item 14: Amendment to the MINA program (72-bed dual diagnosis transitional housing) – increase of $10.8 million (total $18.3 million), term extended through April 2027. The BLA noted good performance but inconsistent site inspections. Funded by Prop C. The committee voted 2-0 to forward with recommendation.
- Item 15: Amendment to the TRP program (65-bed sober transitional living) – increase of $7.8 million (total $17.3 million), term extended through July 2026. Funded by general fund. The committee voted 2-0 to forward with recommendation.
Public Comments
- Item 1: Floyd Rollins, President of Local 798, thanked the committee for unanimous support and noted the groundbreaking nature of the legislation.
- Item 5: Helen Hale from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development spoke in strong support of the housing ladder program.
- No public comments were made on other items.
Key Outcomes
- All items except Item 13 were forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation. Item 13 was forwarded without recommendation.
- The committee emphasized the need for improved monitoring and performance evaluation for contracted services, especially given the city’s tight budget.
- The meeting adjourned at approximately 12:10 PM, with the next Budget and Appropriation Committee meeting scheduled for 1:30 PM the same day.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. Let's start over. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the May 1st, 2024 meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee. I am Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee. I'm joined by Vice Chair Rafael Mendelman and Supervisors Mirna Malgar and now also Board President Aaron Peskin. Our clerk is Brent Halipa. I would like to thank Kalina Mendoza from SFGup TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clark, do you have any announcements? 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. 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 on each item on this agenda. When your item of interest comes up in 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 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 the doors. If you wish 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 finance committee clerk at B R E N T.j. SFGOV.org. If you submit public comment via email, he will be forwarded to the supervisors and also included as part of the official file. You may also send your written comments via U.S. Postal Service to our office and city hall at one. Dr. Carlton B. Good place. 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 7th, unless otherwise stated. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And for um everyone here today, um, typically with those items that have budget and legislative analysts report, we will have the department presentation. We will go to the budget and legislative analyst, then we will have questions, then public comment. And so with that, Mr. Clerk, please um can you call item number one? Yes, madam chair. Item number one is an ordinance amending the administrative code to prohib to prohibit the fire department from providing or using uh personal protective equipment containing intentionally added PFAS or per floral alkyl and polyfluoral alkal substances by June 30th, 2026, and requiring the fire department to conduct regular meetings with labor representatives and submit regular reports to the Board of Supervisors and Fire Commission regarding its progress toward meeting the June 30th, 2026 deadline. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. And um, this legislation is uh sponsored is Board President Aaron Peskin and would like to start with the introductory remarks. Thank you, Chair Chan, and thank you to yourself and committee member Melgar as well as Supervisors Fai and Ingario for co-sponsoring uh this ordinance, which would make San Francisco the first city uh in the country to ban cancer-causing chemicals from our firefighters personal protective gear, which we commonly refer to uh as turnouts. Our our firefighters are the shield that keep us all safe, and their turnouts uh are what keep them safe as they put their lives on the line and put their body in bodies in harm's way every day, and they expose themselves uh to any number of harmful chemicals in the course of firefighting, which have uh which has made cancer the leading cause of death amongst firefighters uh here and around the country. And ironically, uh one of these forever chemicals uh is not what uh they breathe when plastics are on fire, but uh is actually found right in the inner layer of our fighter fighters turnouts. Um the department uh and their cancer prevention foundation have led the field uh in ascertaining what the causes of cancer are and ways to mitigate them, uh, including but not limited to washing all of their protective gear after uh incidents um and a number of different measures, uh and that has really been pioneering uh work that has led the way and has ultimately led to this legislation, and I want to thank and acknowledge that pioneering collaboration between uh the department and its leadership and the rank and file, the union representing the working men and women of the department, local 798, and the Cancer Prevention Foundation. And I think this is really a step where San Francisco can lead the nation in this very important next step for firefighter safety. The purpose of this ordinance is to create a timeline as well as a collaborative process to implement the phase out of turnouts with PFAS, with the goal of removing all cancer-causing chemicals from this protective gear by June 30th of 2026. It mandates a collaboration, a collaborative process between labor and management to work towards this goal and public accountability through reporting back to the Board of Supervisors on the progress. It is being tested as we speak by Rescue 1 and Rescue 2, and we will hear more about that. But I think the time uh has come for us to be very deliberate about implementing this as quickly as we can. I also want to salute the department and its leadership for being proactive and actually having gone out and obtained grants that will reduce the amount of money that we need to come up with to replace all of this gear, which is approximately uh well, it is two turnouts per firefighter, uh, which is somewhere in the magnitude of 3,500 units of turnouts that need to be replaced over the course of the next two years. Um, and with that, it is my pleasure uh to bring up our chief, Chief Janine Nicholson.
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