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Supervisors add transparency and sunset to SFPUC green infrastructure grant‑delegation
Summary
The board approved on first reading an ordinance delegating limited authority to the SFPUC general manager for 20‑year green infrastructure grant agreements, but amended it to require SFPUC commission approval of agreements, quarterly public reports to the Clerk, and a 07/01/2020 sunset.
The Board of Supervisors on Jan. 29 approved on first reading an ordinance authorizing delegation of certain authority under Charter section 9.118 to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) general manager to execute long‑term grant agreements for the city's green infrastructure grant program — but only after supervisors insisted on transparency and a short sunset.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin offered an amendment requiring that any grant agreement executed under the delegation be approved by the SFPUC commission at a publicly noticed hearing and that the SFPUC submit quarterly written reports to the Clerk of the Board summarizing all grant agreements executed. Peskin’s amendment also limited the delegation to agreements executed before July 1, 2020, after which the delegation would expire by operation of law; the reporting requirement would end following submission of the quarter ending June 30, 2020.
Peskin said the amendment was “good government” because it preserves public visibility into the grant agreements while allowing PUC staff to proceed during a limited interim period. The board approved the amendment without objection and passed the ordinance as amended on first reading.
Why it matters: The ordinance would let the SFPUC general manager enter 20‑year grant agreements under limited conditions; supervisors added oversight language to ensure that the commission hears and the board receives public quarterly summaries of the grants, and placed a one‑year sunset on the delegation.
Vote and next steps: The board passed the ordinance as amended on first reading; the item will return for a second reading and final adoption per city legislative procedure.
