San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee Meeting (January 12, 2026)

The Rules Committee—Chair Supervisor Shimon Walton, Vice Chair Supervisor Stephen Sherrill, and Supervisor Danny Sauter—met on January 12, 2026, to (1) recommend reappointment of City Administrator Carmen Chu for a new five-year term, (2) recommend the appointment/reappointment of Dimitri Cornett to the Small Business Commission (term ending January 6, 2030), and (3) recommend acceptance of the Human Services Agency’s annual surveillance report for call recording technology. All items advanced to the full Board of Supervisors for expected consideration on January 27, 2026 (as stated by the Clerk).

Consent Calendar

• None.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Item 1 (Carmen Chu reappointment): Multiple speakers expressed support for reappointing Carmen Chu as City Administrator, citing her competence, responsiveness, and management of a large portfolio.
  • George Wooding (neighborhood advocate): Expressed support, describing Chu as organized and trusted.
  • Glenn Rogers (landscape architect, speaking for self): Expressed support; stated Chu’s office generated “over $3 billion in annual revenue,” and said she is “pushing for affordable housing.”
  • Juliana Choice Sommer (small business owner): Expressed support; urged forwarding the nomination to the full board.
  • Trisha Gregory (small business owner; member, LBE Advisory Committee): Expressed support; described Chu and her staff as responsive to LBE concerns and highlighted changes that increased opportunities for local businesses.
  • Michael Pappas (Executive Director, San Francisco Interfaith Council): Expressed support; described Chu as focused and community-oriented.
  • Miguel Galarza (Chair, LBE Advisory Committee): Expressed support; emphasized Chu’s advocacy for small businesses and urged supervisors to engage with the LBE Advisory Committee.
  • Matthew Shulvok (General Director, San Francisco Opera; Co-chair, San Francisco Arts Alliance): Expressed support; stated Chu has been a strong advocate for arts and culture and for a fair, streamlined grants process.
  • Rodney Fong (President & CEO, San Francisco Chamber of Commerce): Expressed support; noted office vacancy remains “35%, 40% vacant,” and described Chu as a steady leader.
  • Annie Chung (representing Self-Help for the Elderly): Expressed support; described Chu as patient and responsive.
  • Donald Liu (President, Chinese Chamber of Commerce): Expressed support; urged advancing the nomination.
• Item 2 (Small Business Commission—Dimitri Cornett): No public speakers.
• Item 3 (HSA call recording annual surveillance report): No public speakers.

Discussion Items

• Item 1 — Reappointment of Carmen Chu as City Administrator (5-year term)

  • City Administrator Carmen Chu summarized work during her prior term, including COVID-19 operational response (safe return-to-office direction, purchasing/PPE, operational guidance), creation of a government operations recovery focus, contracting/procurement reforms (including repealing the “12x ban,” standardizing thresholds, adding emergency provisions related to tariffs, and pursuing a citywide procurement system), and support for multiple programs and divisions within her office’s portfolio.
  • Chu also described operational improvements (e.g., domestic partnership certification turnaround reduced from “over two years” to “under one week”; real estate leasing savings cited as “$40 a square foot leases” at 1455 and “$30 square foot leases”), and discussed future focus areas such as commission-related work based on public feedback, charter reform support, technology modernization (website as a “front door” and unified data platforms), contracting, fleet optimization, and addressing long-term capital funding challenges.
  • Committee member remarks:
    • Vice Chair Sherrill expressed support and emphasized leadership reflected in team-building and staff recognition.
    • Supervisor Sauter expressed support, noting broad community support and that behind-the-scenes improvements often mean systems are working well.
    • Chair Walton expressed support, thanked Chu for outlining the scope of the City Administrator’s responsibilities, and referenced additional areas (including DPW/sanitation-related changes, LBE work, language access, community ambassadors, Recology, and Community Challenge Grants).

• Item 2 — Appointment/Reappointment of Dimitri Cornett to the Small Business Commission (term ending January 6, 2030)

  • Dimitri Cornett (small business owner; salon in the Mission for ~11 years; prior downtown Market Street business; education work with L’Oréal Professionals) requested reappointment after approximately two years of service on the commission. He described goals of outreach to merchants, improving awareness of city programs, and using data/research to help “reimagine” retail and restaurant models.
  • Vice Chair Sherrill asked what major “headaches/hardships” small businesses face. Cornett responded that permitting improvements and the “first year free” program are beneficial, but raised concerns about employment/independent contractor constraints (referencing “ABC laws” and impacts from a prior “Uber” law) on salons and other service-industry businesses—particularly the rule he described as preventing independent contractors from performing services the establishment is licensed to provide.
  • Chair Walton thanked Cornett and highlighted the value of service-industry expertise on the commission.

• Item 3 — Resolution accepting the Human Services Agency (HSA) annual surveillance report for call recording technology

  • Susie Smith (Deputy Director for Policy Planning and Public Affairs, HSA) presented HSA’s first annual surveillance report for call recording technology as required by Administrative Code Chapter 19B, noting prior Board approval of the surveillance policy in June 2024 and required annual reporting to the Board and the Committee on Information Technology (COIT).
  • Smith stated the call recording is used in HSA call centers for public benefit programs, the child welfare hotline, and provider assistance for the In-Home Supportive Services program; its primary purpose is enabling telephonic signatures so clients need not come in person, which she said particularly helps people with mobility impairments, families with young children, and others who may not feel safe in public spaces.
  • Smith reported that in FY 2024–25 the system handled approximately 428,000 calls with no reported complaints or violations of policy, and that COIT reviewed and approved the report.
  • Chair Walton asked whether the technology hampered in-person services; Smith stated it did not, and some programs still require in-person visits.

Key Outcomes

• Member attendance: The committee excused President/Supervisor Rafael Mandelman from the meeting by unanimous vote (3-0).
• Item 1: Recommended confirmation of Carmen Chu as City Administrator for a five-year term (motion passed 3-0, no objection). Item forwarded to the full Board.
• Item 2: Recommended appointment/reappointment of Dimitri Cornett to the Small Business Commission (term ending January 6, 2030) (motion passed 3-0, no objection). Item forwarded to the full Board.
• Item 3: Recommended approval of the resolution accepting HSA’s annual surveillance report for call recording technology (motion passed 3-0, no objection). Item forwarded to the full Board.
• Adjournment: Meeting concluded after the final item; no further business was reported by the Clerk.