The Budget and Finance Committee on Oct. 15 voted unanimously to forward nine items to the full Board of Supervisors on Oct. 21, including a grant and gifts agreement for an Irish Famine memorial, a temporary lease to relocate Chinatown Public Health Center services, a long-term lease amendment for Muni operations at the Salesforce Transit Center, a 30-year solar funding and license agreement for a new Mission Bay elementary school, a major amendment to a power scheduling contract, two early-childhood services contracts, and two ordinances offering tax relief for affordable housing projects.

The committee, chaired by Supervisor Connie Chan, considered department presentations, budget and legislative analyst summaries and limited public comment before moving each item to the full board with a positive recommendation. All votes recorded in committee were 3-0 in favor.

Why it matters: the items together affect capital projects, near-term clinic operations in Chinatown, long-term transit facility costs and governance, city energy contracting and internal capacity for market participation, early childhood services funding and a set of tax code changes designed to reduce transactional and operating costs for deed-restricted affordable housing. Several items include material fiscal impacts or contingencies that will appear in Board deliberations and future budget cycles.

Key decisions and highlights

Irish Famine memorial — Item 1
The committee approved sending to the full board a resolution authorizing the Recreation and Park Department to accept and expend a combination of cash and in-kind grants from the San Francisco Irish Famine Memorial Committee valued at approximately $500,000 to build a memorial plaza in Lincoln Park on El Camino del Mar. Abigail Mayer, Partnerships Division, Recreation and Park Department, said the project will be delivered in two phases: a concrete plaza (phase 1) and future artwork administered in partnership with the San Francisco Arts Commission (phase 2). Patrick Uniak, chair of the San Francisco Irish Famine Memorial Committee, said the committee expects to break ground around March 17, 2026 (St. Patrick’s Day), weather permitting. The committee will serve as the project’s fiscal sponsor; the Recreation and Park Department will manage capital project oversight. Public comment included a statement from Elizabeth Creeley, consular officer, Consulate General of Ireland, expressing support for the memorial.

Temporary Chinatown clinic lease — Item 2
The committee forwarded a resolution authorizing the director of property to enter into a lease for roughly 11,894 square feet at 845 Jackson Street (Chinese Hospital building) for use by the Department of Public Health as a temporary relocation site for the Chinatown Public Health Center during renovations funded by the 2024 Healthy, Safe and Vibrant General Obligation Bond. Sally Orth, Director of Real Estate, and Kei Kim, DPH project manager, told the committee the initial three-year lease (with a one-year option) has an annual base rent at $42 per square foot (approximately $500,000 annually) and that the city will reimburse landlord tenant improvements for up to $300,000 and up to $1,600 for signage. Kei Kim said Chinese Hospital expects to secure HCAI and CDPH change-of-use permits by the end of the year and to complete tenant construction about three months thereafter, with rent payments expected to begin around April of the next year.

Salesforce Transit Center lease amendment — Item 3
The committee approved forwarding a resolution approving a first amendment to the Muni lease with the Transbay Joint Powers Authority to continue municipal operations at the Salesforce Transit Center through Dec. 31, 2050, with two 10-year renewal options (potentially through 2070). Scarlett Lam of the Municipal Transportation Agency (MTA) said the current-year MTA operating charge for use of the center is approximately $1,203,280; MTA occupies about 50,436 square feet on the plaza level (about 21.8% of the building). The amended agreement continues the existing cost-share structure in which operators pay a proportional share of net operating costs. Supervisors asked for clarification about which specific bus lines originate or terminate at the center versus passing through; MTA staff committed to follow up with operations detail before the full board hearing.

Mission Bay School solar funding and license agreement — Item 4
The committee forwarded a 30-year funding and license agreement between the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and the San Francisco Unified School District to fund and own a 112-kilowatt solar photovoltaic system at the new Mission Bay elementary school, at a project cost to SFPUC of about $653,000. Jamie Bridal, SFPUC distributed energy resources manager, said construction started in February 2025, the array is operational and received permission to operate in July; the district proceeded with construction at its own risk because the city agreement remained pending.

Power scheduling amendment (APX/CAISO pass-throughs) — Item 5
The committee forwarded a resolution authorizing Amendment No. 3 to the SFPUC’s power scheduling coordination contract with APX Inc., a California ISO-certified scheduling coordinator. Suni Jones, SFPUC wholesale and retail services manager, said the amendment increases the not-to-exceed amount to allow for approximately $362.6 million in CAISO pass-through charges plus $3.1 million for professional services (total contract capacity requested approximately $1.26 billion, reflecting prior increased market costs and a contingency). The agreement would also extend scheduling services through May 2030 (three-year extension) while SFPUC builds internal scheduling capabilities. Staff and the Budget and Legislative Analyst framed most of the increase as nonnegotiable CAISO pass-through costs.

Early childhood contracts — Items 6 and 7
The committee forwarded two resolutions to the full board awarding multi-year contracts to community providers to administer San Francisco’s citywide early care and education services. The Department of Early Childhood (DEC) presented contracts: one with Children’s Council of San Francisco (not to exceed approximately $436,300,000 over the contract term) and one with Wu Yi Children’s Services (not to exceed approximately $237,700,000). DEC staff described the contracts as covering information and referral, enrollment and subsidy administration, and vacancy tracking across the city’s mixed delivery system, leveraging state and local funds and serving families from birth through age 12.

Tax code changes for affordable housing — Items 8 and 9
The committee forwarded two companion ordinances from the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development (MOHCD) that would: (1) exempt certain deed-restricted, 100% affordable housing transfers from the real property transfer tax retroactive to April 12, 2024 (File 250890), and (2) exclude from gross receipts tax the receipts of qualifying low-income housing partnerships beginning with the 2026 tax year, suspend registration and fees for those partnerships, exempt sites used or planned for city-sponsored affordable housing from the commercial vacancy tax retroactive to Jan. 1, 2022, and exempt city-owned property from the commercial vacancy tax retroactive to Jan. 1, 2025 (File 250891). City staff estimated refunds and immediate relief could total roughly $4 million and ongoing forgone revenue around $3 million in recent-year averages; MOHCD and housing developers said the changes reduce barriers to financing and operations of deed-restricted affordable housing.

Votes at a glance (committee vote: 3-0 forward to full Board Oct. 21 unless noted)
- Item 1 (Rec & Park grant for Irish Famine Memorial) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded to full Board (resolution). Presenter: Abigail Mayer (Rec & Park). Public comment: Patrick Uniak (SF Irish Famine Memorial Committee), Elizabeth Creeley (Consulate General of Ireland).
- Item 2 (Lease for 845 Jackson St. to house Chinatown Public Health Center services) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded to full Board (resolution). Presenter: Sally Orth (Real Estate), Kei Kim (DPH). Key fiscal notes: annual base rent ~$42/sq ft (~$500,000); tenant improvements up to $300,000.
- Item 3 (Amend lease with Transbay Joint Powers Authority to continue Muni operations through 2050) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded (resolution). Presenter: Scarlett Lam (MTA). Committee requested follow-up operational details on which Muni routes originate/terminate at the transit center prior to the full board.
- Item 4 (SFPUC funding and license agreement for Mission Bay School solar) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded (resolution). Presenter: Jamie Bridal (SFPUC). Project operational; SFUSD proceeded at its own risk pending agreement.
- Item 5 (Amendment 3 to SFPUC contract with APX for CAISO scheduling coordination) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded (resolution). Presenter: Suni Jones (SFPUC). Requested increase covers CAISO pass-throughs and professional services; extension to May 2030 included.
- Items 6 & 7 (Contracts with Children’s Council of San Francisco and Wu Yi Children’s Services) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded (resolutions). Presenter: Department of Early Childhood staff. Contract terms and total not-to-exceed amounts summarized in committee materials.
- Items 8 & 9 (Ordinances to amend transfer tax, gross receipts and commercial vacancy tax rules for certain affordable housing) — Forwarded; committee vote: 3 ayes; outcome: forwarded (ordinances). Presenter: Sheila Nicholas (MOHCD). City staff estimated immediate refunds of roughly $4 million and annual general-fund revenue foregone of roughly $3 million under recent-year patterns.

Discussion, clarifications and next steps
Committee members asked for timing details and permitting status on the Chinatown clinic move (DPH said HCAI and CDPH permits were in process, with occupancy and rent anticipated in spring 2026), operational details for bus routes at the Transit Center (MTA promised follow-up with operations staff), and further explanation of the CAISO pass-through increases and SFPUC’s plan to build internal capacity (SFPUC staff described investments to automate powerhouse operations and to reduce longer-term reliance on outside scheduling coordinators). All items will appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on Oct. 21 unless otherwise noted in staff reports.

Ending
The committee concluded its business after forwarding all items. Public comment on most items was limited; where speakers appeared, they represented project partners, nonprofit housing developers and housing advocates who said the tax changes would ease financing or operations for deed-restricted affordable housing.