Board passes bulk of fiscal package on first reading after heated budget debate

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on July 16 passed the bulk of the city's fiscal package on first reading, approving ordinances and resolutions covering the city's budgets, fees and several grant agreements while continuing one measure for a week to correct a title error.

Budget Chair Shama L. (Shamann) Chan, who led the Budget and Appropriations Committee, urged caution as the board cast initial votes. "We face a stark reality of a ballooning $1,000,000,000 budget deficit," Chan said during remarks before the first votes, urging continued work to control spending and preserve core services.

The package includes multi-year budget and salary ordinances, fee adjustments for the county clerk and various city codes, and a series of grant acceptances and program appropriations. Supervisors noted restorations for public health, child care, and youth services, but several members including Supervisor Hillary Ronan and Supervisor Aaron Peskin said the adopted package still left gaps for nonprofits and social services.

Ronan, one of the board's most vocal critics of parts of the mayor's proposal, announced she would vote against the overall package because it diverts Prop I revenue away from social housing and expands police spending on nonoperational items. "It is unconscionable that funding for overdose prevention sites was excluded from the mayor's budget," Ronan said, citing public health priorities.

Supervisor Dean Preston moved to continue Item 12 for one week after the clerk read a revised title that had not been agendized; the board approved the continuance. Otherwise, the board advanced Items 1 through 11 and 13 through 24 on first reading.

Votes at a glance - Items 1'11 and 13'24 (budget and related ordinances): Adopted on first reading by a roll-call vote of 10-1 (Supervisor Preston voted no). Item 12: Continued one week for re-agendizing of a revised title. The clerk read the budget items and called the roll before the votes. - Several related budget resolutions and grant acceptances (items noted during the clerk's reading): Adopted on first reading as part of the package.

Why it matters The board's first-reading approvals move the city farther down the path to final budget adoption but do not finalize spending. Supervisors signaled that difficult trade-offs remain as the city contends with a structural shortfall; several members said they expect further negotiations and potential mid-year supplemental requests.

What to watch next Item 12 is scheduled for final consideration after the one-week continuance. Supervisors said they will continue working with the mayor's office, departments and community groups to seek additional restorations and to resolve the board's outstanding concerns about housing and public-safety spending.

A full set of ordinances and resolutions from the broader package will return for final votes and normal second-reading procedures in subsequent meetings.