San Francisco BOS Rules Committee Regular Meeting - April 28, 2025
San Francisco BOS Rules Committee Regular Meeting - April 28, 2025
The Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, chaired by Supervisor Shimon Walton and joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Sherrow and President Mandelman, met on April 28, 2025, to consider three appointments: two to oversight bodies and one mayoral reappointment to the SFMTA Board. The meeting included public testimony and unanimous votes on all actions.
Appointments to Citizens’ General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee
- Applicants: Three seats were originally available, but applicant Kate McGee withdrew. Incumbent Andrea Crawford (Seat 1) and new applicant Min Chang (Seat 3) appeared.
- Speaker (Andrea Crawford): A District 3 resident and mother, she highlighted her service as the only woman and only African American on the committee, monitoring the 2016 bond portfolio (six components, many projects delayed by COVID but now ramping up). She requested reappointment to see projects through to completion by mid-2026.
- Speaker (Min Chang): CEO of nonprofit HomeBridge, managing over 1,100 clients and 540 staff. She cited 36 years of experience, including Fortune 100 and management consulting, and familiarity with budgets and operations.
- Public Comment: Tita Bell, aide to Supervisor Sauter, expressed support for Andrea Crawford for continuity.
- Outcome: Motion passed unanimously (Chair Walton, Vice Chair Sherrow, President Mandelman ayes) to recommend Andrea Crawford for Seat 1 to the full Board. Seat 3 was continued to the call of the chair.
Appointment to Transbay Joint Powers Authority
- Applicant: Charlie Lavery appeared; a second applicant was absent.
- Speaker (Charlie Lavery): District representative and trustee for the International Union of Operating Engineers. He noted his work on the Transbay project, including negotiating the original PLA for the transit center, and five terms on the TJPA Citizens Advisory Council. He emphasized infrastructure as equity.
- Public Comment: None.
- Outcome: Motion to recommend Mr. Lavery with a residency waiver passed unanimously.
Mayoral Reappointment to SFMTA Board – Mike Chen
- Applicant: Mike Chen, renominated by the mayor for a four-year term. He summarized recent board work: modernizing train dispatch, improving speed cameras, street reconfigurations (Beach, Oak, Valencia), and addressing a $322 million budget deficit (20% of operating budget). He highlighted his prior service on the SFMTA CAC (including two years as chair) and his priorities in outreach, customer experience, and data-driven solutions.
- Public Comment:
- Support: Bob Akasvandiari (SF Democratic Party), Sam Moss (Mission Housing), SFMTA Board Chair (appeared to support continuity), Thomas Lee (community activist), Robin Pam (Kidsafe SF), Melissa Buckingham Adams (District 1 Muni rider), Brian Kwan (District 1 activist). Supporters cited his empathy, listening skills, multimodal advocacy, and ability to navigate the budget crisis.
- Opposition: Griffin Lee (DT Unite) expressed concern about Mike Chen being lobbied by contracted groups (e.g., SF Bike Coalition) and called for a stronger financial background to address the $320 million deficit, particularly considering West Side residents.
- Outcome: Motion to strike the rejecting language and forward Chen’s reappointment with a positive recommendation passed unanimously.
Key Outcomes
- Andrea Crawford recommended to full Board for Citizens’ GO Bond Oversight Committee (Seat 1); Seat 3 continued.
- Charlie Lavery recommended to full Board for Transbay Joint Powers Authority, with residency waiver.
- Mike Chen’s reappointment to SFMTA Board approved for forwarding to full Board.
Meeting Transcript
Good morning and welcome to our April 28th, 2025 Rules Committee meeting. I'm Supervisor Shimon Walton, your chair, and I'm joined by Vice Chair, Supervisor Sherrow and President Mandelman. Our clerk today is Victor Young, and I would like to thank Eugene Labadia from SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting and making sure that it is available to the public. Mr. Clerk, do we have any announcement this morning? Uh yes, public comment would 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 your right. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR dot Y O U-N G at SFgov.org. If you submit public comment by email, it will be included as part of the file. You may also send your written comments via US mail to our office in City Hall. One Dr. Carlton B. 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 May 6, 2025, unless otherwise state it. That completes my initial announcements. Thank you so much. Would you please call it a number one? Item number one is a hearing to consider appointing three members, terms expiring November 21st, 2026, to the Citizens General Obligation Bond Oversight Committee. We have three seats, three applicants. However, one of our applicants has withdrawn. Kate McGee has withdrawn her application. Thank you so much. And so I will just call you up in order in terms of how you appear on the agenda. You have up to two minutes to tell us about why you want to serve, and we will start with Andrea Crawford. Thank you. Um good morning, Chair Walton, Chair Vice Chair Cheryl, and President Mandelman. I'm a resident of District 3. I'm a mom of two kids who have attended SFUSD schools since kindergarten and are now students at Galileo in District 2. Um I'm a member of the Women Presidents Organization, an organization that represents and serves women business leaders throughout San Francisco, the Bay Area, and the world. It's a complex bond project with six components, each with many projects. Most of those projects are nearly complete. Some of these building pro five projects were delayed during COVID and even after there wasn't, you know, there was a delay in getting um what do you call the products over from overseas. I'm thinking I'm blanking on that term right now. But um over the past year, those projects have really ramped back up, become quite active, and I'd like to stay on as the liaison to see them through to completion. Most should be complete this year or by mid-2026. It's been a privilege to monitor bond performance and ensure accountability for voters. I can confidently state that 2016 bond funds are being spent in accordance with the original authorization of the San Francisco voters. Thank you. And I hope you will recommend reappointing me to seat number one on the Seago Bach. I will also state really quickly if I have more time. I'm only I am the only woman currently serving on the Seago Bach, and there are no African American residents serving on the Seago box, so I'd like for you guys to just consider that when you're um thinking about appointing new people to this board. Thank you so much. Seeing no questions, we will call up Min Cheng Speaker. Good morning, supervisors and president. I'm very grateful for being considered. I am Min Chang and I live and work here in San Francisco. I live in the uh in Recon Hill or Financial District, and I also work in the tender loin.
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