Budget and Finance Committee Meeting – May 13, 2026
Budget and Finance Committee Meeting – May 13, 2026
The Budget and Finance Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on May 13, 2026, at 6:15 PM (though the transcript begins with "Good morning," suggesting a possible discrepancy between the scheduled time and the recording). Chair Connie Chan presided, joined by Vice Chair Matt Dorsey and Member Danny Sauter. The committee considered five items, including a long-term parks funding agreement for Hunters Point Shipyard, an $8.5 million loan to the San Francisco Zoological Society, the annual designation of official city newspapers, and a lease amendment for a cargo airline at SFO. All items were approved and forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors for the May 19 agenda.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 2 (Zoo Loan): Multiple speakers opposed the loan, citing lack of transparency, financial mismanagement, and animal welfare concerns. Michael Angelo Torres (D3 resident, animal commissioner) noted that community warnings predated the BLA audit and criticized the zoo’s resistance to oversight. Sidney Dent advocated for direct city management of the zoo rather than a bailout. One speaker opposed bringing pandas to the zoo. Others requested strong safeguards on expenditures and animal acquisitions.
Discussion Items
- Item 1 – Hunters Point Shipyard Parks Funding: Mark Slutskin (OCII), Antonio Guerrero (Rec Park), and an Arts Commission representative presented a 66‑year joint community facilities agreement to fund operation and maintenance of 13.5 acres of parks and public art in Phase 1 (767 housing units). The costs are 100% covered by a Community Facilities District (CFD), with no General Fund dollars. Rec Park will manage the parks and enforce park code; the Arts Commission will oversee art maintenance. Chair Chan emphasized community engagement and local prioritization. The item was unanimously moved to the full board.
- Item 2 – Zoo Loan: Antonio Guerrero (Rec Park) summarized a joint letter outlining a plan for financial stability, strategic planning, governance improvements, and operational enhancements. Nick Minard (BLA) confirmed the loan agreement matches the previously discussed term sheet, with repayment over 10 years after final disbursement (estimated 12‑13 years total). The loan is up to $8.5 million ($6.5 million plus a potential $2 million reserve). Chair Chan expressed confidence based on the audit and the zoo’s alignment with recommendations. The item was approved unanimously.
- Items 3 & 4 – Official Newspapers: Sophie Hayward (Office of Contract Administration) presented the annual designation of official newspapers under Proposition J (1994). The Office of Contract Administration recommended the San Francisco Examiner as daily official newspaper, the Bay Area Reporter and Wind Newspaper as weekly community‑based outlets, and several monthly neighborhood‑based periodicals (Examiner, El Tecalote, Henry Society Journal, Noe Valley Voice, Potrero View, SF Bay Times, SF Chronicle, World Journal). Vice Chair Dorsey offered amendments to add Sing Tao and El Reportero as monthly neighborhood‑based publications, citing the importance of community journalism and language access. The amendments were accepted, and the resolutions were forwarded to the full board with a unanimous vote.
- Item 5 – SFO Lease Amendment: Daniel Sang (SFO) requested approval to add Air Zeta Co. as a signatory airline to the airport’s 2023 Lease and Use Agreement. The lease runs through June 30, 2033. Air Zeta began cargo operations in August 2025 under a permit. The airport projects $15 million in revenue from rent and landing fees through 2033, with $2.2 million going to the city’s General Fund. The BLA recommended approval. No public comments were received. The item was unanimously forwarded to the full board.
Key Outcomes
- Item 1: Moved to full board with recommendation (3‑0).
- Item 2: Moved to full board with recommendation (3‑0).
- Items 3&4: Amended to add Sing Tao and El Reportero; moved to full board with amended recommendation (3‑0).
- Item 5: Moved to full board with recommendation (3‑0).
The committee also reminded the public that the Budget and Appropriation Committee would meet at 1:30 PM that afternoon to begin budget hearings with enterprise agencies.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the May 13, 2026 meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee. I am Supervisor Connie Chan, Chair of the Committee. I am joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Matt Dorsey and Member Supervisor Danny Sauder. Our clerk is Brent Haliba. I would like to thank Kalina Mendoza from Essex of TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? 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. Should you have any documents to be included as part of the files, they 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 by 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 the doors. If you wish for your name to be accurately recorded for the minutes, alternatively, you may submit public comment and writing in either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the budget and finance committee clerk at B R E N T. A L I P A Hat S F G O V dot O R G. If you submit public comment via email, it 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 in City Hall at one Dr. Carlton be good at place. Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. And finally, items acted upon today are expected to appear on the board of supervisors agenda of May 19th, unless otherwise stated. Madam Chair. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Uh and before we call item number one, like to just remind the public that we have budget and legislative analyst reports for items two and five on today's agenda. And for those items, we will have the department presentation first, and then followed by the budget and legislative analyst. Um then we will take questions and public comment. And to also for the general public, we will have budget and appropriation committee this afternoon, and that's when the city department of enterprise agencies will come before this body. So this is still the budget and finance committee. And so with that, Mr. Clerk, please call item number one. Yes, item number one is a resolution authorizing and approving an agreement with the successor agency to the redevelopment agency of San Francisco, acting in its capacity as the legislative body of community facilities district number eight, Hunters Point Shipyard Maintenance District. How for the city to receive funding for its operation and maintenance of the Hunters Point Shipyard Phase One Parks and Open Spaces, and to authorize the recreation and park department and the San Francisco Arts Commission to coordinate the operation and maintenance. Madam Chair. Thank you. And today we have um OCI. Yes, Office of Community Infrastructure and Investments here. Yeah, thank you. Uh good morning, Chair Chan, Vice Chair Dorsey and Supervisor Sabter. I'm Mark Slutskin, the Deputy Director of Office of Community Investment Infrastructure, OCII. I'm here with the Recreation and Parks Department and the San Francisco Arts Commission. Uh we are here to present the community facilities uh agreement for the funding and management of the open space and public art and shipyard phase one. Uh the hilltop area of uh the shipyard phase one has seven hundred and sixty-seven units of housing and thirteen and a half acres of park and open space. And due to dissolution, we are required to transfer the open space to the city. Here we have a map of the hilltop area. The areas in green show the parks, pocket parks, and larger open space. The orange uh circles is where the public art is located.
openpublica.com