SF Environment director warns of staffing and funding shortfalls as major renovation ordinance advances

San Francisco Environment Director Tyrone Jude briefed the commission on program highlights and a deteriorating budget outlook that staff said could force program reductions or layoffs in the coming fiscal cycle.

Jude told commissioners that the major renovations ordinance — a building-electrification-related measure discussed during the Building Operations Task Force — passed unanimously out of the Board of Supervisors Land Use Committee and will go to the full board for consideration.

He summarized program milestones: the mayor announced the opening of the department’s first fast EV chargers at Bayview Plaza; the department completed BayREN refrigerant-replacement pilots at two San Francisco sites; the 2025 update to the San Francisco Green Building Code has been forwarded to the Board of Supervisors after receiving Department of Building Inspection committee support; and the Safe Medicine Disposal Program collected 42,247 pounds of unwanted medications in calendar year 2024, an 11 percent increase from 2023.

Jude also described the refuse-rate budget process and said the department requested roughly $3 million through refuse-rate funding but the refuse-rate board funded only a subset of positions. He said the department’s headcount reflected in the presentation decreased from 45 to 39 full-time equivalents after adjustments and that the department expects further work-order reductions in year two of the budget cycle. "If we're not able to rectify that year 2 shortfall, it'll essentially result in potential layoffs of our climate team, our building electrification team, and our Electric Vehicle Team," Jude said.

Jude described how refuse-rate funding covered some priority items: a landfill contracting position (previously funded with one-time monies) was funded; a 0.5 FTE toxics reduction position was partially funded to support outreach to small businesses; port rent increases to maintain a recovery facility were covered; and one existing 18/22 classification position was funded at full FTE. He said the mayor’s office has heard department concerns and staff will continue discussions to resolve the year-2 shortfall before budget instructions are finalized later this year.

Why it matters: The department leads policy implementation for city climate goals and many of its core activities — building electrification, electric vehicle deployment and program support — depend on a small staff. Jude framed the current budget trajectory as a test of the city's commitments to its climate targets and said program implementation requires both staffing and programmatic funds.

Clarifying details: Director Jude said the refuse-rate request was roughly $3,000,000; the Safe Medicine Disposal Program collected 42,247 pounds of medicines in 2024 (an 11% increase over 2023); staff headcount shown in the presentation would fall from 45 to 39 FTE after refuse-rate adjustments; year-two work-order reductions could deepen cuts and carry a layoff risk beginning July 1, 2026, if not resolved.