Supervisors split over overtime supplemental; fire, emergency management and sheriff funding advance while other departments face scrutiny

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on May 17 took several conflicted votes on an ordinance to reallocate roughly $24.7 million into overtime accounts for multiple city departments, ultimately approving transfers for some departments while delaying or subjecting others to further scrutiny.

The measure, introduced as Item 9, would deappropriate approximately $20.6 million from permanent salaries, fringe benefits and non-personnel accounts and appropriate about $24.7 million to overtime accounts across the sheriff's department, Department of Emergency Management (DEM), fire department, Department of Public Health (DPH), Public Utilities Commission (PUC) and the police department. The ordinance requires an eight-vote (two-thirds) threshold under Charter section 9.113 because it affects operating budgets.

Why it matters: City departments told the board they need the money to cover projected increases in overtime; board members raised questions about recurring “salary savings” and whether departments are using unfilled positions to justify higher overtime. Several supervisors said the item exposed weaknesses in budget oversight and hiring practices that they want to address in the coming budget cycle.

The debate and outcomes

Supervisor John Avalos called the item “a really challenging one” and pressed the city budget analyst…