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Supervisors press Department of Public Health on repeated retroactive grant approvals; DPH cites timing and review layers
Summary
Supervisors pressed the Department of Public Health on May 10 over repeated retroactive grant approvals that arrived before the Board after programs had already begun; DPH staff said grant start dates sometimes precede award execution and that internal review and scheduling caused delays.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin and other board members criticized the Department of Public Health on May 10 for repeatedly bringing retroactive “accept and expend” grant approvals months after the grant start dates.
Why this matters: Retroactive grant approvals mean programs have started before the Board has formally authorized city acceptance of funds. Supervisors said the recurring delays undermine oversight and prevent meaningful legislative review.
What supervisors said: Supervisor Peskin called the three DPH grant items (items 10–12 on the agenda) “unconscionable” and said DPH has been “sitting on this since September” in one instance. Supervisor Ronan, budget committee chair, said similar grants often require retroactive board action because the grantor’s award start date can precede the date the city receives the formal executed agreement; she asked DPH to explain the long scheduling delays.
DPH response: Greg Wong (identified in the transcript as DPH staff) apologized for the delays and explained several causes: (1) grant agreements sometimes specify a project start date that precedes the city’s receipt of the award, (2) internal review layers with Controller and Mayor’s Office may require changes to documents that add time, and (3) end‑of‑year scheduling (holidays and budget season) can push board hearings into retroactive territory. Wong said some awards were unavoidable to approve retroactively but DPH would try to improve timeliness.
Recorded award dates (from DPH statements in the meeting): - Item 10: award received Oct. 1, 2021 (Stupski Foundation grant via SFGH Foundation for serious illness care program). - Item 11: award received Sept. 13, 2021 (CDC award DF21… for social determinants of health accelerator work). - Item 12: award received Dec. 14, 2021 (Alliance and Safety Justice grant via SFGH Foundation for trauma recovery center collaboration).
Outcome: After the exchange and DPH explanation, the three retroactive accept-and-expends were adopted unanimously. Supervisors said they will continue to press DPH for faster processing and to bring grants to committees sooner where possible.
Next steps: Budget committee oversight and follow‑up for DPH grant processing times; supervisors said they will return with questions and expect DPH to streamline internal review where feasible.
