Board approves $25.3 million police supplemental after months of debate over overtime and oversight

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on March 21 approved an ordinance to appropriate about $25.3 million in general-fund reserves for the San Francisco Police Department to cover overtime and other costs for the current fiscal year, following hours of debate over the department's overspending and internal controls.

The appropriation passed 9-2, with Supervisors Walton and Preston voting no. The ordinance was presented by the Budget and Finance Committee and described as a midyear supplemental to address the department's overtime shortfall.

Why it matters: The debate revealed a deeper dispute over how the city manages a department that has run well over its overtime budget in recent months. Supervisors expressed a mix of support for additional resources to maintain public safety and concern about financial management, policy priorities and compliance with the city's Administrative Code.

Supervisor Connie Chan, chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, said the supplemental and related items (12 through 16 on the agenda) reached her committee without a recommendation because committee members could not reach consensus, though she urged colleagues to support the measures. "While we all have the shared values that we want clean and…