Mayor Lee tells supervisors housing, wage and retirement questions demand both resources and collaboration

Mayor Edwin Lee spoke to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on July 15, 2014, during a scheduled policy discussion about housing, the city budget and other priorities.

Lee said San Francisco must continue investing in schools, youth programs and housing and described several measures he and the board are supporting, including a minimum wage increase on the November 2014 ballot and a $500,000,000 transportation bond. He said the city has made “historic investments” in the school district and pointed to recent programs such as Summer Jobs Plus and technology initiatives for students.

The mayor said housing remains the city’s most urgent resource problem, not a process problem, and pointed to a voter‑approved $1,300,000,000 housing trust and more than $96,000,000 in related investments included in the budget under consideration. “What we need is more funding for our housing goals,” Lee said. He said half of the new units his plan envisions would be affordable to middle‑ and low‑income San Franciscans.

Supervisor Maher questioned the mayor about scheduling practices at formula retail workplaces and said unpredictable, involuntary part‑time schedules contribute to economic instability for low‑wage workers. Maher said he was working on a proposal to give part‑time employees greater access to available hours and asked for the mayor’s support. Lee said he was willing to review the proposal and reiterated his commitment to supporting quality job creation and predictable work schedules.

Supervisor Avalos asked the mayor whether the city could push the San Francisco Employees' Retirement System toward divestment from fossil fuels. Lee noted the retirement system manages about $19 billion and has a fiduciary duty to members, and he described the board’s recent decision to begin shareholder engagement with fossil‑fuel companies. Lee said the retirement board had previously divested from Big Tobacco and other sectors and said any divestment would need to be “responsible” and consistent with the retirement system’s rules.

Why this matters: The mayor’s remarks previewed the budget and ballot season, tying high‑profile campaign items — a minimum wage increase, housing measures and a transportation bond — to the city’s fiscal planning. Supervisors used the forum to press for policy detail on scheduling protections for retail workers and on how the city might work with the retirement board on climate‑related financial risk.

Details and context: Lee said the budget to be reviewed that day includes a roughly $96 million investment in housing over two years and described the $1.3 billion housing trust previously approved by voters. He characterized the problem holding back production of affordable housing as a resource shortfall rather than a regulatory bottleneck. On retirement investments, Lee said the retirement board is evaluating whether to escalate its shareholder engagement beyond “level 1.”

What was not decided: No ordinance, resolution or formal direction to staff was adopted during the question period. Supervisors and the mayor agreed to continue discussions; supervisors signaled plans to advance specific proposals later in committee or through legislation.