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Board orders student-loan forgiveness fund for first responders placed on November ballot
Summary
Supervisors voted 6–4 to submit a proposed administrative code amendment creating a first‑responder student loan forgiveness fund to the Nov. 5 ballot. Supporters said the ballot measure can help recruitment and retention; opponents questioned funding and efficacy.
The Board of Supervisors voted 6–4 on July 30 to order submitted to the November 5, 2024 ballot a measure that would amend the administrative code to establish a first‑responder student loan forgiveness fund.
The proposed fund would allow the city to pay outstanding student loans and job‑related educational and training expenses for city employees who are sworn members of the police department, the fire department or the sheriff’s department, paramedics, registered nurses and 9‑1‑1 dispatchers, supervisors or coordinators. An applicant would need to be hired into a qualified role from the start of the specified year and work full time for at least three years before accessing the fund, the sponsor said.
Supervisor Asha Safaie, the lead sponsor, said the measure is intended to be an incentive to attract and retain staff in critical public‑safety and health positions facing acute shortages. She said the campaign aims to start the fund at least with $1 million and ultimately raise up to $25 million, so eligible individuals could receive up to about $25,000 in debt relief. Safaie also said the measure is not itself a budget set‑aside; funding allocations would be considered during future budgets and philanthropic contributions could supplement city funding.
Opponents said the measure could be funded without a ballot measure and questioned whether a ballot initiative is the appropriate vehicle. A roll-call vote showed six ayes and four nos; supervisors Ronan, Mandelman, Melgar and Peskin voted no.
Why it matters: City officials described the fund as a recruitment and retention tool for understaffed first‑responder and health roles. If placed on the ballot and approved, the city would need to identify funding sources and administrative rules to operate the program.
What’s next: The measure was ordered submitted and, if placed on the Nov. 5 ballot, would proceed through the city’s ballot argument and election procedures; budgetary and implementation details would be resolved in future budget cycles if the measure passes.
