Board approves reallocation to cover overtime and other department costs after split votes and procedural challenge

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on May 24 adopted an ordinance that moves roughly $24.7 million into overtime budgets while deappropriating about $20.6 million from permanent salaries, fringe benefits and non-personnel services, and appropriating about $4.1 million from surplus revenues to other uses.

The measure was taken in a divided vote after supervisors asked to separate portions of the ordinance for individual consideration. The board first voted on a divided file covering the Fire Department, Department of Emergency Management (DEM), the Sheriff’s Department and the Public Utilities Commission (PUC); that portion passed unanimously (11–0). The second portion, covering the Department of Public Health (DPH) and the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD), passed on a separate roll call with seven ayes and four noes, with Supervisors Avalos, Campos, Kim and Peskin recorded in the dissent. After a procedural motion to rescind an earlier second vote was made and handled during the meeting, the board re-took the second-part vote and the ordinance was finally passed on second reading.

Supervisor John Avalos, who announced his intention to vote no earlier in the week, expressed concern about the board’s budget review process and the timing of budget committee analysis. "We had $8,000,000 left over that was moved from police salaries to cover overtime that was used for the Super Bowl," Avalos said during debate, and said he was voting no because he felt the board had been "hamstrung" without more time for analysis.

Supervisor Mark Farrell moved to divide the file and asked for separate votes on the fire department, DEM and sheriff; he later amended to add the PUC to that divided portion. Deputy City Attorney John Gibbs confirmed that the fire department portion of the ordinance required eight votes while other sections required six votes.

The ordinance language as read at the meeting described deappropriating approximately $20.6 million from permanent staffing and reallocating approximately $24.7 million to overtime budgets in departments including the Sheriff’s Department and DEM, and appropriating approximately $4.1 million from surplus revenues.

Ending: The ordinance cleared final passage after the two-part voting process, with the board recording unanimous approval on the first divided portion and a 7–4 vote on the second portion. Supervisors signaled continued concern about budget process timing and requested closer scrutiny in the next budget cycle.