OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

May 4, 2026 Rules Committee: Streamlining Ordinance and BHC Appointments

Rules CommitteeMonday, May 4, 2026
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionRules Committee
DateMonday, May 4, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:18:50

Transcript — Verbatim
0:14

Yeah, we're ready to go with uh we'll go.

0:18

Oh, let me double check.

0:19

Check it out.

0:23

Oh, yeah.

0:25

I'm on live feed.

0:26

I see it now.

0:27

Thank you.

0:28

We're ready.

0:30

All right, good morning, and welcome to our May 4th, 2026 Rules Committee meeting.

0:36

I am your Chair Supervisor Shaman Walton, joined by Vice Chair Stephen Sherrill, and soon to be joined by President Mandelman.

0:44

Our clerk today is Victor Young, and I want to thank James Kowanawood.

0:48

SFGov TV for making sure that this meeting is publicized and made available to the public.

0:55

Mr.

0:56

Clerk, do we have any announcements?

0:58

Yes.

0:58

Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda.

1:01

When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on your right.

1:06

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

1:10

Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR dot Y O U N G at SFgov.org.

1:17

If you submit public comment via email, it will be included as part of the file.

1:21

You may also send your written comments via U.S.

1:24

mail to our office in City Hall when Dr.

1:26

Carlton B.

1:27

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

1:32

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

1:36

Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of May 12th, unless otherwise stated it.

1:44

That completes my initial announcements.

1:46

Thank you.

1:46

Would you please call item number one?

1:54

Item number one is an ordinance, meaning the administrative, business and tax regulation, campaign and government conduct, environmental health, labor and employment, municipal election, parks, planning, police, public works, and transportation codes to define distinguish between commissions and advisory bodies, and establish certain standards provis standard provisions, some of which generally apply to commissions, some to advisory bodies, and some to both.

2:23

Generally establish the terms and term limits of bodies with four-year terms and three-year term limits for commissions, three-year terms and four-year term limits for advisory bodies, and generally limit holdover service by members of the body, establish, modify, or clarify the censor date of certain bodies, abolish certain bodies, retain certain bodies, in some cases rename them, modify the powers and duties, and or change them from commission to advisory bodies.

2:50

For certain bodies, modify composition membership or appointment structure of members and change qualification for service from required to desired qualifications, transfer of chapter five of the administrative code provisions for bodies that are currently located elsewhere in the administrative code or another part of the municipal code, so that the large majority of commissions and advisory bodies are concentrated in chapter five, modify the duties, responsibility definitions, and membership of child care planning advisory council to conform with applications of state law, add two state required bodies, the community corrections council and juvenile justice coordinating council to the administrative code, make other minor clarifying changes regarding commissions and advisory bodies, authorizing and direct the city attorney to make clerical and non-substantial changes to update the municipal code, cross-reference and rename bodies and cross-reference to sections and subsections numbered changes by this ordinance.

4:01

Welcome.

4:07

Yes, I was the chair of the commission streamlining task force.

4:10

Um what I wanted to do was give you a brief background what's in this ordinance, and then hope to answer any questions you might have.

4:17

Um so it was created by Proposition E in the in 2024 election.

4:23

The proposition said that it should be convened for the purpose of advising the mayor and the board of supervisors on ways to eliminate, consolidate, or limit the powers and duties of appointed boards and commissions for the more effective, efficient, and economical administration of the city and county of government, and introducing one or more ordinance to effectuate its recommendations.

4:44

The members were appointed by the mayor and the board, and then three staff members of the city attorney, city controller, and city administrator.

5:03

We met over the last year.

5:04

We reviewed 152 bodies.

5:06

One of the first things we did was figure out how many there were, and we ended up with 152.

5:11

Anything called commission advisory committee board, staff working groups that met the definition of a legislative body under California Code Section 54952, which was specified in proposition E.

5:23

We received over a thousand comments, 550 in public comment, and 670 written comments, and we had two deliverables.

5:31

One was a proposed charter amendment, which is still being worked on and revised, and the other is an ordinance which is before you today that will go into effect 90 days after introduction, unless two-thirds of the board of supervisors votes disapprove it.

5:46

The 90 days are up in early June.

5:49

So what did we do?

5:50

And I have one very high level slide.

5:54

If you could put that up for us, it's not going to work, is it?

6:02

Is this how you make it bigger or smaller, or can you do that?

6:08

SFGov, can we uh zoom out on this matter?

6:16

While they're working on that.

6:17

Um, what we tried to do is to find different groups we were working with so that we could be consistent when we wanted to, but but if we were inconsistent, it would at least be intentional.

6:27

Um those groups were in for this ordinance decision making bodies, advisory bodies, staff working groups, and inactive bodies.

6:36

Inactive bodies were those who were expected to meet regularly but have not met in more than a year.

6:42

Thank you very much.

6:44

Um when I say to meet regular regularly, some groups like the districting redistricting task force only meets every few years, but it didn't mean that we should, it was inactive just because it hadn't met.

6:57

Um, the decision making bodies, there were 10.

7:00

They have some high level of oversight, budget authority, contract authority.

7:06

We kept all of those in our recommendations.

7:09

There are things like the Children and Families First Commission and in home support services, public authority governing board, and others like that that are in the admin code, not in the charter, but they do have decision making authority.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Personnel Matters██████████████████████████████████████████42%
Procedural███████████████████████████27%
Community Engagement██████████████14%
Homelessness████████8%
Pending Litigation█████5%
Public Health███3%
Public Comment1%
Summary of Proceedings

May 4, 2026 Rules Committee: Streamlining Ordinance and Behavioral Health Appointments

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, chaired by Supervisor Shamann Walton and joined by Vice Chair Stephen Sherrill and President Rafael Mandelman, met on May 4, 2026. The committee considered a major ordinance from the Commission Streamlining Task Force to reform the city's commissions and advisory bodies, and conducted appointments to the Behavioral Health Commission.

Public Comments & Testimony

Item 1: Commission Streamlining Ordinance

  • Mary MacFarland and Jennifer Friedenbach (Coalition on Homelessness) urged the committee not to eliminate the Shelter Monitoring Committee and the Shelter Grievance Advisory Committee, arguing they provide crucial independent oversight and due process protections for shelter residents that city staff cannot replicate.
  • Lila Holzman, Juliana, Jugal Patel, Graham Griffin, Graham Jack (Abundant San Francisco), and other residents expressed strong support for the ordinance, stating it improves government accessibility, equity, and efficiency, making the system navigable for everyday San Franciscans.
  • Lucas Illa, Solange, Lisa Wynne, and Miguel Carrera (Coalition on Homelessness) opposed the elimination of the Shelter Monitoring Committee, arguing it is the only true accountability mechanism for people experiencing homelessness and that removing it creates instability.

Item 2: Behavioral Health Commission Appointments

  • Andrea Gallardo (SF Young Democrats) and Carlotta Jackson Lane (current BHC holdover) spoke in strong support of applicant Michael Fitro, citing his recovery journey and dedication to public service.

Discussion Items

Item 1: Ordinance to Streamline Commissions and Advisory Bodies

  • The committee heard a presentation from Mr. Harrington, Chair of the Commission Streamlining Task Force. The task force, created by Prop E in 2024, reviewed 152 bodies, received over 1,000 public comments, and proposed an ordinance to standardize term lengths and limits, add sunset clauses for 12 groups, eliminate 11 advisory bodies (including the Shelter Monitoring Committee, Food Security Task Force, and Urban Forestry Council), and codify 30 inactive bodies.
  • President Mandelman thanked the task force, noting the ordinance represents useful cleanup. Chair Walton and Vice Chair Sherrill agreed the full Board of Supervisors should weigh in on the complex legislation. Walton moved to send the ordinance forward without a recommendation.

Item 2: Behavioral Health Commission Appointments

  • Over a dozen applicants presented their qualifications, including individuals with lived experience (consumers and family members), clinical backgrounds (social workers, nurse practitioners), and policy expertise. Several candidates, such as Harriet Stevens, were noted as ineligible due to term limits, and others were absent.
  • Supervisors thanked all applicants for stepping forward. President Mandelman emphasized the need for the commission to be high-functioning. Chair Walton acknowledged the spirit of the streamlining ordinance in encouraging turnover and broad participation.

Key Outcomes

Item 1: Commission Streamlining Ordinance

  • Vote: The committee voted unanimously to send the ordinance to the full Board of Supervisors without recommendation.
  • Next Steps: The ordinance will appear on the Board's agenda on May 12, 2026. If not disapproved by a two-thirds vote, it will take effect 90 days after introduction.

Item 2: Behavioral Health Commission Appointments

  • Vote: The committee unanimously recommended the following appointments:
    • Amelia Harman (Seat 6)
    • Brandon Fountain (Seat 3)
    • Jasper Verduin (Seat 10)
    • Keisha Mason (Seat 11)
    • Michael Fitro (Seat 5)
    • Sam Yoshranski (Seat 8, with a residency waiver)
    • Stephanie Gonzalez (Seat 9)
    • Tara Gamboa Eastman (Seat 12)
  • Deferred: Appointments for Seats 2 and 7 were continued to a future date due to applicant absences.

Note: The provided timestamps suggested the meeting took place at 6:15 PM, but the transcript confirms it was a morning session on May 4, 2026.

Meeting Transcript

Yeah, we're ready to go with uh we'll go. Oh, let me double check. Check it out. Oh, yeah. I'm on live feed. I see it now. Thank you. We're ready. All right, good morning, and welcome to our May 4th, 2026 Rules Committee meeting. I am your Chair Supervisor Shaman Walton, joined by Vice Chair Stephen Sherrill, and soon to be joined by President Mandelman. Our clerk today is Victor Young, and I want to thank James Kowanawood. SFGov TV for making sure that this meeting is publicized and made available to the public. Mr. Clerk, do we have any announcements? 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 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 via email, it will be included as part of the file. You may also send your written comments via U.S. mail to our office in City Hall when Dr. Carlton B. Goodley Place, room 244, San Francisco, California 94102. Please make sure to silence all cell phones and electronic devices. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of May 12th, unless otherwise stated it. That completes my initial announcements. Thank you. Would you please call item number one? Item number one is an ordinance, meaning the administrative, business and tax regulation, campaign and government conduct, environmental health, labor and employment, municipal election, parks, planning, police, public works, and transportation codes to define distinguish between commissions and advisory bodies, and establish certain standards provis standard provisions, some of which generally apply to commissions, some to advisory bodies, and some to both. Generally establish the terms and term limits of bodies with four-year terms and three-year term limits for commissions, three-year terms and four-year term limits for advisory bodies, and generally limit holdover service by members of the body, establish, modify, or clarify the censor date of certain bodies, abolish certain bodies, retain certain bodies, in some cases rename them, modify the powers and duties, and or change them from commission to advisory bodies. For certain bodies, modify composition membership or appointment structure of members and change qualification for service from required to desired qualifications, transfer of chapter five of the administrative code provisions for bodies that are currently located elsewhere in the administrative code or another part of the municipal code, so that the large majority of commissions and advisory bodies are concentrated in chapter five, modify the duties, responsibility definitions, and membership of child care planning advisory council to conform with applications of state law, add two state required bodies, the community corrections council and juvenile justice coordinating council to the administrative code, make other minor clarifying changes regarding commissions and advisory bodies, authorizing and direct the city attorney to make clerical and non-substantial changes to update the municipal code, cross-reference and rename bodies and cross-reference to sections and subsections numbered changes by this ordinance. Welcome. Yes, I was the chair of the commission streamlining task force. Um what I wanted to do was give you a brief background what's in this ordinance, and then hope to answer any questions you might have. Um so it was created by Proposition E in the in 2024 election. The proposition said that it should be convened for the purpose of advising the mayor and the board of supervisors on ways to eliminate, consolidate, or limit the powers and duties of appointed boards and commissions for the more effective, efficient, and economical administration of the city and county of government, and introducing one or more ordinance to effectuate its recommendations. The members were appointed by the mayor and the board, and then three staff members of the city attorney, city controller, and city administrator. We met over the last year. We reviewed 152 bodies. One of the first things we did was figure out how many there were, and we ended up with 152. Anything called commission advisory committee board, staff working groups that met the definition of a legislative body under California Code Section 54952, which was specified in proposition E. We received over a thousand comments, 550 in public comment, and 670 written comments, and we had two deliverables. One was a proposed charter amendment, which is still being worked on and revised, and the other is an ordinance which is before you today that will go into effect 90 days after introduction, unless two-thirds of the board of supervisors votes disapprove it. The 90 days are up in early June. So what did we do? And I have one very high level slide. If you could put that up for us, it's not going to work, is it? Is this how you make it bigger or smaller, or can you do that? SFGov, can we uh zoom out on this matter?

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