San Francisco Public Safety Committee Meeting – March 25, 2021
STREAMING COPY IN PREPARATION — RECORDING AVAILABLE FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE
San Francisco Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee Meeting – March 25, 2021
The Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee, chaired by Supervisor Gordon Maher, met on March 25, 2021, to consider two liquor license applications, hold a hearing on maximizing Medi-Cal reimbursements for youth mental health services, and advance an ordinance strengthening gun violence restraining orders (GVROs). The meeting lasted from approximately 10:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 (Liquor License – Bar Part-Time, 496 14th Street): The committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of a Type 42 on-sale beer and wine license, finding it would serve public convenience and necessity. The Alcohol Liaison Unit (ALU) recommended conditions on loitering and noise, which the applicant accepted. No public comment was received. (Roll call: 3-0)
- Item 2 (Liquor License Transfer – Bloomingdale’s, 845 Market Street): The committee voted unanimously to recommend approval of a Type 21 off-sale general license. ALU conditions included minimum container sizes and multi-unit sales for certain beverages; the applicant agreed. No public comment. (Roll call: 3-0)
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 3 (Mental Health Reimbursements): Two callers spoke. The first, representing the Family Resource Center Alliance, expressed strong support for the new Medi-Cal billing project, noting that 26 FRCs are eager to begin claiming on April 1, 2021. The caller emphasized that the new revenue would supplement, not supplant, existing funding. No other callers were heard.
- Item 4 (GVRO Ordinance): Two callers, both from Brady United Against Gun Violence, voiced strong support for the proposed ordinance and thanked the committee for its work. No opposition was voiced.
Discussion Items
Item 3 – Hearing on Reimbursement Practices and Maximizing Funding for Youth Mental Health Services
Supervisor Mirna Malgar presented the hearing, highlighting a parallel mental health crisis exacerbated by the pandemic. Key presenters included:
- Alex Briscoe (California Children’s Trust): Reported a 104% increase in self-injury and inpatient admissions for suicidal ideation among children since 2007; only 5% of California children receive any mental health care. He explained Medicaid’s “pay-for-diagnosis” model and outlined four funded projects expected to generate $6–10 million in new federal revenue annually: (1) Family Resource Centers time-study claiming starting April 1, (2) a new Medi-Cal benefit for caregiver mental health during well-child visits, (3) San Francisco Unified School District expansion, and (4) administrative activity claiming by the Department of Public Health (DPH).
- Drew Morel (DPH, Behavioral Health Services): Noted that a federal waiver (1135) lifted the administrative cost cap from 15% to 30% during the COVID public health emergency, yielding an estimated $2–3 million additional revenue for fiscal year 2019-20. He explained that DPH had stopped claiming “mental health MA” (administrative activities) in 2016 due to new state time-study requirements creating an excessive burden. Current efforts focus on “direct charge” opportunities where staff or contractors are 100% dedicated to eligible activities, avoiding time studies.
- Fred Rousseau (Budget and Legislative Analyst): Presented estimates that DPH could recover $3.2 million by shifting administrative costs over the 15% cap into mental health MA, and that contractors could generate $7 million if they claimed 5% of unadministered time. He noted Alameda County increased such claims from $3 million to $17 million annually under similar circumstances and recommended six-month progress reports to the board.
- Dr. Farah Arramond (DPH, Children, Youth and Family System of Care): Identified two top needs: (1) three crisis residential beds (~$1.1 million) and (2) expanded youth substance use treatment (~$2 million). She described ongoing system alignment with the school district, child welfare, and juvenile probation.
Discussion focused on the audit risk of time-study-based claims (audits can occur 6–7 years later) and the need for sustained county investment to leverage federal matches. Supervisor Stefani connected the hearing to her prior work on youth substance abuse programming.
Item 4 – Ordinance Amending Police Code on Gun Violence Restraining Orders
Supervisor Catherine Stefani presented the ordinance, which: (1) requires peace officers to serve and file GVROs no later than three days after issuance, and (2) allows the city to enforce out-of-state GVROs as if issued locally. She noted a minor amendment (adding “in coordination with the city attorney” on page 4, lines 3, 12, 19) and corrected the title accordingly.
Commander Raj Baswani and Sergeant Patrick Faye (SFPD) reported on GVRO implementation: in 2020, eight GVROs were obtained; one so far in 2021. They described a case where an escalating neighbor dispute led to a GVRO and firearm seizure. Commander Baswani highlighted a 390% increase in shootings year-to-date (from 10 in 2020 to over 50 in 2021) and noted that most gun violence involves illegal firearms, but GVROs are a critical tool for legally owned firearms in high-risk situations. Training expansion is planned once officers are vaccinated.
Supervisor Maher expressed support and asked to be added as a co-sponsor. The committee adopted the amendments and then voted to recommend the ordinance as amended to the full board. (Roll call: 3-0)
Key Outcomes
- Items 1 and 2 (Liquor Licenses): Both recommended to the full Board of Supervisors for the April 6, 2021 agenda (unanimous).
- Item 3 (Mental Health Reimbursements): The hearing was continued to the call of the chair (motion by Chair Maher, unanimous). The committee directed DPH and BLA to continue working with California Children’s Trust and report back on progress within six months.
- Item 4 (GVRO Ordinance): The ordinance was approved as amended and recommended to the full Board of Supervisors (unanimous). Supervisor Haney was added as a co-sponsor.
Note: Supervisor Haney was excused from 10:47 a.m. to 11:29 a.m. due to a prior commitment.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning. The meeting will come to order. Welcome to the Thursday, March 25th meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee. I'm Supervisor Gordon Maher, the chair of this committee, and I'm joined by Vice Chair Catherine Stephanie and committee member Matt Haney will be joining us. And today we're also joined by Supervisor Mirna Malgar for item number three. Thank you to this committee's clerk, John Carroll. And I'd also like to thank SFGov TV for staffing this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? I do. For one thing, we do see Supervisor Haney has joined us now. I want to note that. Mr. Chair, in order to protect the public, board members and city employees during the COVID-19 health emergency, the Board of Supervisors, Legislative Chamber and Committee Room are closed. This precaution is taken pursuant to all various local, state, and federal orders, declarations, and directives. Committee members will attend the meeting through video conference and participate in this meeting to the same extent as if they were physically present in their committee room. Public comment will be available for each item on this agenda. Both San Francisco Cable Channel 26 and SFgovTV.org are streaming a public comment call-in number across your screen at this time. Your opportunity to speak and provide your comments during the public comment periods on today's agenda are available via phone by dialing 415-655-0001. Once connected and prompted, enter the meeting ID of 1874963. Following that, press the pound symbol twice to be connected to the meeting. When you're connected, you will hear the meeting discussions ongoing, but your line will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up, dial star followed by three to be added to the speaker line. A system prompts will indicate that you have raised your hand. Please wait until the system indicates that you've been unmuted and you may then begin your comments. Best practices are to call from a quiet location to speak clearly and slowly and to turn down your television, your radio, or your streaming device. Everyone must account for potential time delays and speaking discrepancies we may encounter between the live coverage of the meeting and streaming. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in either of the following ways. You may email me. My name is John Carroll, and I'm the clerk of the public safety and neighborhood services committee. My email address is J-O-H-N period C-A-R-R-O-L-L at SFGOV.org. Alternatively, you may submit your public comment in writing on paper by mailing it to our office in City Hall. Our office is room 244, City Hall. One, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, San Francisco, California, 94102. And finally, Mr. Chair, items acted upon today will appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of April 6th, 2021, unless otherwise stated by a motion. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Can you please call item number one? Agenda one is a hearing to consider that the issuance of a type 42 on sale beer and wine public premises liquor license to bar part-time LLC doing business as bar part-time, located at 496 14th Street. Will serve the public convenience or necessity of the city and county. Members of the public who wish to provide public comment on this hearing should call the public comment number, which I will repeat. 415-65501. Enter the meeting ID of 1874963. Press the pound symbol twice to connect to the meeting and then press star, followed by three to enter the queue if you wish to speak on this hearing. Mr. Chair. Thank you, Mr.
openpublica.com