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Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting - July 8, 2024: Multiple Charter Amendments and Resolution on Rent Control

Rules Committee — Monday, July 8, 2024
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionRules Committee
DateMonday, July 8, 2024
StatusFILED
Video Record
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Transcript — Verbatim
0:07

The meeting will come to order.

0:08

Good morning.

0:09

This is the July 8th, 2024 Rules Committee meeting.

0:12

I'm Hillary Supervisor Hillary Ronin, Chair of the Committee.

0:14

I'm joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Shimon Walton and committee member supervisor Asha Safey.

0:20

Our clerk is Victor Young.

0:22

And I would like to thank Eugene Le Badia at SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting.

0:27

Mr.

0:27

Clerk, do you have any announcements?

0:29

Uh yes.

0:30

Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda when your item of interest comes up and public comment is called.

0:35

Please line up to speak.

0:37

Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing either of the following ways.

0:41

Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VIC T-O-R dot Y-O-U-N-G at SFgov.org.

0:49

If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and include as part of the file.

0:55

You can also send your written comments via US mail to our office in City Hall 1.

1:00

Dr.

1:00

Carleton V.

1:01

Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102.

1:07

Please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices.

1:11

Documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk.

1:14

Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of July 16, 2024, unless otherwise stated.

1:24

Thank you so much.

1:25

Can you please call item number one?

1:28

Item number one is a charter amendment.

1:32

First draft to amend the charter of the city and county of San Francisco to provide for the election of director of the Department of Police Accountability and election to be held on November 5th, 2024.

1:43

Supervisor Walton.

1:44

Thank you, Chair Ronan.

1:45

We are still working out some things with MEA, so I'd like to continue this item to the call of the chair.

1:51

Okay.

1:51

Can we open up this item for public comment?

1:58

Yes.

1:59

Members of the public, we should speak on this item.

2:01

Should line speak.

2:04

Each speaker will be allowed two minutes.

2:06

There'll be a soft chime when you have 30 seconds left and a louder chime when your time has expired.

2:12

Are there any speakers on this matter?

2:16

Please proceed.

2:17

Public comment.

2:18

Oh, sorry.

2:22

Please begin.

2:23

So welcome, President Paskin.

2:26

Nice to see you in the House.

2:27

The uh I'm talking to the public as always.

2:31

I'm H.

2:31

Brown.

2:32

I'm a retired special education teacher.

2:35

I thought uh gangster kids, they prefer to be called at than severely emotionally disturbed for since 1965 with breaks in between to do all kinds of other things.

2:48

But what happens is uh uh they're they can be reformed.

2:54

You don't bust them on the hill bomb because it's springtime and they're trying to impress the girls.

3:00

Uh that's the kind of uh uh criminal justice system we have in this city now.

3:05

That's the police chief's idea.

3:07

His idea is to overload the jails with addicts and teenagers.

3:12

You know why?

3:13

They're easy to catch.

3:15

Uh we should be talking about electing a police chief also.

3:19

And a couple of people uh running around this house here are running for mayor, and they could add that as a plank to their platform.

3:27

That would really be good.

3:28

Victor, I didn't hear the little bell.

3:30

Doesn't the little one come before the big one?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Affordable Housing█████████████████████21%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Police Oversight███████████████15%
Public Comment███████████11%
Charter Amendments████████8%
Rent Stabilization██████6%
Budget and Finance██████6%
Public Health█████5%
Procedural████4%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting - July 8, 2024

The Rules Committee, chaired by Supervisor Hillary Ronen and joined by Vice Chair Shaman Walton and Supervisor Asha Safai, met on July 8, 2024, to consider eight charter amendments for the November 5, 2024 ballot and a resolution supporting the repeal of Costa Hawkins. All items were either continued to a future meeting or sent to the full Board of Supervisors with positive recommendations. Public comment was heard on each item.

Item 1: Charter Amendment - Electing Director of Police Accountability

  • Action: Continued to the call of the chair.
  • Public Comment: Two speakers supported the measure, with one suggesting also electing the police chief. Supervisor Walton indicated ongoing negotiations with the Municipal Executives Association.

Item 2: Charter Amendment - Inspector General in Controller’s Office

  • Action: Amended and continued to July 15, 2024.
  • Amendments: Removed the word "misconduct" from certain sections and added consultation with the Department of Human Resources. Supervisor Peskin stated the meet-and-confer obligation was satisfied.
  • Public Comment: Two speakers supported the measure, emphasizing the need for oversight of contracted services.

Item 3: Charter Amendment - Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund for Seniors and Families

  • Action: Amended and continued to July 15, 2024.
  • Amendments: Added persons with disabilities; established annual appropriation of at least $8.25 million starting fiscal year 2026-27, with a first-year minimum of $4 million; added reporting requirements.
  • Public Comment: Over 30 speakers, including representatives from Senior and Disability Action, SRO Families United, SomCAN, and faith-based organizations, urged support. Speakers shared personal stories of living in SROs, being unable to afford rent, and facing eviction. Many noted that affordable housing is unaffordable for extremely low-income households. Supervisor Ronen and Supervisor Safai expressed support, noting the need to protect the most vulnerable.

Item 4: Charter Amendment - Commission Reform

  • Action: Sent to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation.
  • Public Comment: One speaker opposed, calling it a competing measure to TogetherSF's; another speaker supported it, noting the need for reform but criticizing the TogetherSF approach.

Item 5: Resolution Supporting the Justice for Renters Act (Repeal Costa Hawkins)

  • Action: Sent to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation as a committee report.
  • Public Comment: Over 20 speakers supported the resolution, arguing that Costa Hawkins enables displacement and rent increases, particularly for seniors, people with disabilities, and communities of color. Several speakers criticized opponents as being pro-real estate industry. Supervisor Ronen expressed frustration with colleagues who oppose the repeal.

Item 6: Charter Amendment - Per Diem Nurse Retirement Credit and Public Safety Communications Personnel

  • Action: Amended and continued to July 15, 2024.
  • Amendments: Clarified effective date of January 4, 2025, and specified that nurses must work at least one year full-time to buy back up to three years of per diem service. The change reclassifies 911 dispatchers from miscellaneous to public safety safety retirement.
  • Cost Estimate: Controller Greg Wagner estimated annual costs of $3.8 million to $6.7 million in the first year, rising over time.
  • Public Comment: Dispatchers and a union representative supported the measure, citing severe understaffing (20% vacancy) and mandated overtime. One speaker also noted the need for staffing in other sectors.

Item 7: Charter Amendment - Fire Department Service Retirement Pension

  • Action: Amended and continued to July 15, 2024.
  • Amendments: Changed final compensation calculation from "average compensation earnable" to "average compensation earned," saving approximately $1 million per year. The retirement board will consider a 20-year amortization period to save an additional $600,000 annually.
  • Cost Estimate: Controller Wagner estimated costs of $10.2 million in the first year, rising to $21.2 million by 2040-41, then decreasing. With amendments, savings reduce the net cost.
  • Public Comment: Firefighters and union representatives supported the measure, citing cancer as the leading cause of death (205 active and retired firefighters diagnosed since 2018) and the need to allow retirement at age 55 instead of 58. One speaker from IFPTE Local 21 raised questions about cumulative fiscal impacts of all pension enhancements.

Item 8: Charter Amendment - Minimum Police Staffing Levels and Voluntary Deferred Retirement Option Program (DROP)

  • Action: Amended and continued to July 15, 2024.
  • Amendments: Removed minimum staffing numbers from the charter; changed the Prop E workload assessment to a three-year cycle; added definitions; required annual reporting on recruitment, retention, civilianization, and 30×30 pledge; limited DROP eligibility to ranks below command staff and required assignments to patrol or investigative work.
  • Cost Estimate: Controller estimated DROP costs between $600,000 and $3 million in the first year, with potential savings or costs up to $3 million in subsequent years. The removal of minimum staffing language eliminated the need to estimate costs for mandatory staffing levels.
  • Public Comment: Mixed. Some speakers opposed, calling the DROP a waste of money and arguing that it rewards officers who may have misconduct records. Others supported the measure as a retention tool to stem retirements. Supervisor Ronen expressed concerns about the lack of data on whether officers actually leave to work for other agencies, and noted the city has already spent heavily on police without seeing improved response times.

Key Outcomes

  • All votes were unanimous.
  • Items 1, 2, 3, 6, 7, and 8 were amended and continued to the July 15, 2024 Rules Committee meeting.
  • Items 4 and 5 were sent to the full Board of Supervisors with positive recommendations for the July 16, 2024 agenda.
  • The committee did not set a specific timeline for continued items, but they are expected to return the following week for final votes.

Meeting Transcript

The meeting will come to order. Good morning. This is the July 8th, 2024 Rules Committee meeting. I'm Hillary Supervisor Hillary Ronin, Chair of the Committee. I'm joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Shimon Walton and committee member supervisor Asha Safey. Our clerk is Victor Young. And I would like to thank Eugene Le Badia at SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Uh yes. 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. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VIC T-O-R dot Y-O-U-N-G at SFgov.org. If you submit public comment via email, it will be forwarded to the supervisors and include as part of the file. You can also send your written comments via US mail to our office in City Hall 1. Dr. Carleton V. Goodlit Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. Please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices. Documents to be included as part of the file should be submitted to the clerk. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of July 16, 2024, unless otherwise stated. Thank you so much. Can you please call item number one? Item number one is a charter amendment. First draft to amend the charter of the city and county of San Francisco to provide for the election of director of the Department of Police Accountability and election to be held on November 5th, 2024. Supervisor Walton. Thank you, Chair Ronan. We are still working out some things with MEA, so I'd like to continue this item to the call of the chair. Okay. Can we open up this item for public comment? Yes. Members of the public, we should speak on this item. Should line speak. Each speaker will be allowed two minutes. There'll be a soft chime when you have 30 seconds left and a louder chime when your time has expired. Are there any speakers on this matter? Please proceed. Public comment. Oh, sorry. Please begin. So welcome, President Paskin. Nice to see you in the House. The uh I'm talking to the public as always. I'm H. Brown. I'm a retired special education teacher. I thought uh gangster kids, they prefer to be called at than severely emotionally disturbed for since 1965 with breaks in between to do all kinds of other things. But what happens is uh uh they're they can be reformed. You don't bust them on the hill bomb because it's springtime and they're trying to impress the girls.

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