San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting: Appointments, Homelessness Oversight, and Remote Public Comment Debate (Feb 6, 2023)
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San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting – February 6, 2023
The Rules Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on Monday, February 6, 2023, at 10:15 AM, chaired by Supervisor Matt Dorsey. The agenda included three appointments to regional bodies, an ordinance to implement Proposition C (homelessness oversight), and a highly contentious motion to end unlimited remote public comment at board and committee meetings. The meeting lasted several hours, with extensive public testimony on the remote comment issue.
Consent Calendar (Appointments)
- Item 1 (230086): Motion appointing Supervisor Myrna Melgar to the Association of Bay Area Governments (ABAG) Executive Board, term ending June 30, 2023. Passed unanimously (3-0).
- Item 2 (230096): Motion reappointing Supervisor Catherine Stefani to the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District Board of Directors, term ending January 31, 2025. Passed unanimously (3-0).
- Item 3 (230095): Motion reappointing Supervisor Matt Dorsey to the same bridge district board, term ending January 31, 2025. Supervisor Dorsey recused himself due to a small stipend. Passed 2-0 (Peskin aye, Safai aye).
Public Comments & Testimony
- On Item 1 (Melgar appointment): Michael Petrellis spoke in support, citing Melgar's ability to speak at length during commendations as a qualification. A caller from the San Francisco Tenants Union also supported the appointment. Another caller (Jill Cunflower) supported Melgar, calling the first commenter disrespectful.
- On Item 2 (Stefani reappointment): Michael Petrellis again spoke in support, using the same talking style. Others called in support, including David Pilpel who noted Supervisor Stefani's good service on the bridge board.
- On Item 3 (Dorsey reappointment): Michael Petrellis spoke in favor, referring to Dorsey as a "cop" and joking about his ability to talk. David Pilpel supported the reappointment and noted Dorsey's recent first meeting attendance.
- On Item 4 (Homelessness ordinance): Michael Petrellis expressed support for the new homeless oversight body, urging the board to spend less time on commendations and more on homelessness. Dale Seymour, who served on the local homeless coordinating board for 6–8 years, urged that the new commission not be politically connected and represent street-level communities. He noted 99% of nonprofits work hard.
- On Item 5 (Remote public comment ending): Over 38 people called in and several spoke in person, overwhelmingly opposing the motion. Speakers included representatives from Senior and Disability Action, GLIDE, Housing Action Coalition, San Francisco Tenants Union, Race and Equity in All Planning Coalition, and many others. Key arguments: the pandemic is not over; remote access enables participation by disabled people, working parents, seniors, those in far-flung neighborhoods, and immunocompromised individuals; requiring a 72-hour notice for reasonable accommodation is a barrier; the motion is undemocratic and ableist. A few callers (e.g., Alan Burradell) supported the motion, arguing there are many other ways to engage and that unlimited remote comment is unmanageable and a threat to democracy. One caller (Beverly Upton, Domestic Violence Consortium) noted that remote comment allows survivors of domestic violence to participate safely.
Discussion Items
- Item 4 (230122 – Homelessness Oversight Commission): Supervisor Safai presented the ordinance implementing Proposition C (passed Nov. 8, 2022, with 68% of the vote). The ordinance streamlines advisory bodies, requires the Controller to conduct mandatory audits of homeless services, and focuses the local homeless coordinating board solely on the continuum of care. Safai noted the homeless services budget has grown from ~$100M to nearly $700M. He requested to duplicate the file to allow for additional amendments not ready that day, and to continue the duplicated file for one week (to Feb. 13). The committee approved the continuance (3-0) and sent the original ordinance to the full board with a positive recommendation (3-0).
- Item 5 (221008 – Limiting Teleconferencing and Remote Public Comment): Supervisor Mandelman presented the motion to end unlimited remote public comment, effective March 1, 2023, when state and local COVID-19 emergency orders expire. He argued that unlimited remote comment leads to excessively long meetings (citing the car-free JFK debate and redistricting commission), costs city resources, and does not necessarily capture broader public sentiment. He proposed continuing remote comment only as a reasonable accommodation under the ADA. President Peskin suggested removing the 72-hour advance notice requirement and replacing it with "prior to the start of the meeting." He also emphasized the need for a uniform policy across all city Brown Act bodies. Supervisor Dorsey supported taking time to harmonize rules across all ~130 bodies and to consider the impact on city staff. After extensive public comment (over 90 minutes of testimony), the committee voted to continue the item to the call of the chair, with a commitment to bring it back before the Feb. 27 deadline. The motion passed 2-0 (Peskin absent).
Key Outcomes
- Items 1, 2, 3: All appointments passed unanimously and sent to the full Board of Supervisors with positive recommendations.
- Item 4: The original ordinance (implementing Prop C) was sent to the full board with a positive recommendation (3-0). A duplicate file was created and continued to the February 13, 2023 meeting for additional amendments.
- Item 5: The motion to end remote public comment was continued to the call of the chair (2-0), with the understanding that the committee will revisit it before the February 27, 2023, deadline. No amendments were adopted at this meeting.
Meeting Transcript
Okay. Okay, we're ready. The meeting will come to order. Good morning, everyone, and welcome to the Monday, February 6th, 2023, meeting of the rules committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. I'm Supervisor Matt Dorsey, Chair of this committee. I am joined today by my colleagues, Acting Vice Chair Aaron Peskin and our fellow fellow committee member Asha Safai. Thanks so much to our committee clerk, Mr. Victor Young. Thanks also to Jason Goldhammer at the uh SFGov TV team for staffing today's meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Yes, the Board of Supervisors and his committee are now convening hybrid meetings that allow in-person attendance and public comment while still providing remote access and public comment via telephone. The board recognizes that equitable public access is essential and will be taking public comment as follows. First, public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. For those attending in person, those attending in person will be allowed to speak first, and then we will take those who are waiting on the telephone line. For those watching either channel 2628, 78 or 99 and sfgovtv.org, the public comment call-in number is streaming across the screen. The number is 415-655-0001. Then enter the meeting ID of 2498-811-4462, then press pound and pound again. When connected, you will hear the meeting discussion, but you will be muted and in listening mode only. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, those joining us in person should line up to speak, and those on the telephone should dial star three to be added to the speaker line. If you are on the telephone, please remember to turn down your TV and other listening devices you may be using. As already indicated, you'll be taking we will be taking public comment for those attending in person first, then we'll go to public comment on the telephone line. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR.yo N G at SFgov.org. If you submit public comment via email, it'll be forward to the supervisors and included as part of the file. You may also send your written comment via US mail to our office at City Hall 1, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. That completes my initial comments. Thank you, Mr. Young. Before we get started today, I'd just like to say a few words. I first want to thank President Peskin, the outgoing chair of uh this committee for entrusting me to continue his work on the rules committee over the next two years. And second, I want to also express my appreciation and thanks to Supervisors Raphael Mandelman and Connie Chan for their work along with President Peskin on this uh committee over the past two years. And I finally want to say how much I appreciate the opportunity to serve on this committee with two colleagues and friends, Supervisor Shimon Walton, who isn't here today, but will be serving as the vice chair of this committee and also Supervisor Asha Safai, uh, with whom I share many priorities and I look forward to uh collaborating in the uh years to come. The rules committee always has a lot to do, and today is no exception, so let's get to it. Mr. Clerk. Will you please call item one? Uh yes, I know you probably just stated this, but uh we wanted to note that Supervisor Peskin is uh sitting in place of Supervisor Walton for today's meeting. Uh first on the agenda, item number one. Uh, would you like me to read one and two together or read them separately? We can read them separately, that's fine. Item number one, the motion appointing Supervisor Myrna Melgar term ending June 30th, 2023, as a member to the Association of Bay Area Government Executive Board. Thank you, Mr. Clerk. Uh, this item was continued from last week's meeting due to a last-minute change involving which supervisor would take up this role. The motion was amended to confirm that Supervisor Miranda Melgar will be filling seat three on the executive board of ABAG, the Association of Bay Area Governments. Uh seeing neither of my colleagues on the roster for questions or comments. I'd like to open this up for public comment.
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