Votes at a glance: San Francisco supervisors approve a package of planning, budget and labor measures; juvenile hall closure ordinance passes with one dissent

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on June 18 advanced a broad set of ordinances and resolutions on first reading or final adoption covering land use, city budgeting, labor contracts, and public‑safety technology. Most items were handled en bloc and approved on first reading by unanimous consent; a few items drew individual votes or discussion.

Key outcomes

- Juvenile hall closure (Item 1): The board voted to amend the Administrative Code to require closure of the city’s juvenile hall by Dec. 31, 2021, and affirmed related CEQA findings. The item passed on first reading with a recorded roll call: 10 ayes, 1 no (Supervisor Stephanie opposed).

- Landmark and planning code actions (Items 2–4): The board designated 524 Union Street as a city landmark (Item 2) and adopted planning code amendments to permit arts activities and to exempt certain nighttime entertainment in historic and Regional Commercial Districts (Item 3). An accessory dwelling unit (ADU) zoning and tax/regulatory clarification amendment (Item 4) was also taken and passed on first reading; all passed unanimously on first reading.

- Participatory budgeting and district appropriations (Item 6): The board approved de‑appropriation and re‑appropriation actions to support District 7 participatory budgeting projects, moving $400,000 from the district general city responsibility and programming roughly $300,000 to departments for resident‑selected projects and $100,000 to the city administrator for District 7 disaster planning. Supervisor Mandelman reported that his office supported participatory budgeting for six years and cited voting figures presented on the record: “18,500 votes cast from a total number of 2,100 voters,” as his office’s internal figures; the record left the underlying data sources and methodology as statements by the supervisor.

- Telematics in city vehicles (Item 10): The board amended the administrative code to require telematic vehicle tracking systems in city‑owned or leased motor vehicles used by law enforcement agencies (subject to waiver by the city administrator) and affirmed CEQA findings. Sponsor remarks credited reduced speeding and fleet savings in departments that already use telematics; the measure passed on first reading unanimously.

- Labor contracts and MOUs (Items 11–37): The board approved a long series of ordinances to adopt or amend memoranda of understanding (MOUs) covering a wide range of city employee unions, including the firefighters, machinists, operating engineers, Teamsters, SEIU locals, and others. The clerk characterized these as 27 ordinances adopting MOUs effective July 1, 2019 through June 30, 2022; the measures were passed on first reading unanimously.

- City budgets and SFPUC bond measures (Items 7–9 and 49–52): The board took first‑reading votes on interim budget and salary ordinances for FY 2019–20 and 2020–21, and later approved a package of SFPUC bond and capital appropriation ordinances to finance water and power capital programs; those items were approved on first reading by unanimous consent.

- Mutual aid agreement and alcohol license protest (Items 43–44): The board adopted a resolution authorizing the public works director to sign mutual aid agreements with California cities following declared local emergencies (Item 43) — roll call recorded 10 ayes; and approved a resolution asking the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control to deny a Type 21 license for Prime Now LLC (Item 44) — adopted unanimously.

- Record‑clearance and criminal‑justice resolutions (Item 45): The board adopted a resolution supporting California Assembly Bill 1076 (automated record clearance through DOJ) on first reading; roll call recorded 10 ayes when taken.

- Displaced tenant preference expansion (Item 46): An ordinance to expand displaced‑tenant preference in city affordable‑housing programs — to cover tenants whose units will lose affordability restrictions and whose market rents will exceed 40% of household income — passed on first reading unanimously.

- Appointments, reports and other measures (Items 38–42, 47–53, 56–59): The board adopted resolutions and appointments including the Greater Union Square Business Improvement District annual report (Item 38), a UCSF professional‑fee service area MOU (Item 39), commemorative fire hydrant plaques (Item 40), and the Yerba Buena Gardens Conservancy master lease resolution (Item 53). The board also adopted a resolution in support of Senate Bill 343 on health‑care data transparency (Item 56). Most of these passed by unanimous vote or common consent as recorded on the minutes.

Roll calls and recorded votes

The large majority of ordinances were approved on first reading by unanimous consent as noted on the record. Where roll calls were recorded in the transcript, the minutes record:

- Item 1 (juvenile hall): 10 ayes, 1 no (Supervisor Stephanie) - Items 2–5, 7–10, 11–37, 38–42, 46–53, 56–59: passed on first reading or adopted by unanimous consent (recorded as unanimous in the minutes) - Item 43 (public works mutual aid): recorded as adopted, 10 ayes (Supervisor Safaie absent) - Item 44 (Prime Now ABC protest): recorded as adopted unanimously (11 ayes) - Item 45 (AB 1076 support): recorded adopted with 10 ayes

What to watch next

Several items passed only on first reading and will return for final passage or mayoral action in subsequent meetings, including the closure requirement for juvenile hall (Item 1) and multiple planning and code amendments. The tobacco/e‑cigarette ordinances (Items 41 and 42) were debated at length and passed on first reading by unanimous consent; sponsors signaled further implementation steps and a merchant working group before enforcement.

Ending

The board handled most of its June 18 docket as consent business with multiple first‑reading approvals and resolutions; a handful of items prompted recorded votes, the most notable being the juvenile‑hall closure ordinance (10–1). Several measures will return for final votes and implementation planning.