Board of Supervisors adopts multiple ordinances, resolutions; campaign-finance amendment continued

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday approved a package of ordinances and resolutions including changes to overtime rules, extensions of memoranda of understanding with municipal employee unions, creation of a recreation and parks gift fund, and several land-use and lease actions. The board continued its discussion of an amendment to the city's public financing law for one week and scheduled a closed-session counsel briefing.

The votes came largely by unanimous consent for many routine items; a handful of measures drew recorded roll-call votes. The board handled items grouped as consent, moved several ordinances through first reading, and adopted resolutions authorizing leases and fee adjustments.

Key outcomes - Items 1'7 (consent and routine items): adopted by unanimous roll call (11 ayes) as recorded during the meeting. - Item 8 (ordinance limiting the hours of overtime worked): finally passed on roll call, tally recorded as 10 ayes, 1 no (Supervisor Avalos voted no). The ordinance amends the administrative code to limit overtime hours attributable to any employee to 20% in a fiscal year and requires departmental reporting mechanisms. - Items 9 through 13 (ordinances adopting and extending memoranda of understanding with multiple public-safety and executive associations): adopted by roll call (11 ayes). - Item 14 (MOU amendment with Firefighters Local 798, unit 1): excusal motion passed and ordinance finally passed (10 ayes recorded; one supervisor excused from vote). - Item 15 (administrative code amendments creating the Recreation and Parks Gift Fund and modifying mayoral disaster/homeless funds): passed first reading with unanimous support and recorded as passed in first reading. - Item 16 (lease modification with Cathay Pacific for SFO international terminal lounge): adopted by unanimous consent. - Item 17 (lease for Department of Public Health at 1360 Mission St., Suite 401): adopted as amended by unanimous consent after a technical amendment. - Item 18 (increase in assessor-recorder base fee for recording and indexing first page from $4 to $10): adopted by unanimous consent. - Items 19 and 20 (amendments and extensions of leases related to Octavia Boulevard properties): adopted by unanimous consent. - Item 21 (ordinance adding separate overtime line items in city budgets for several departments): passed in first reading by unanimous consent after proponents said it would improve transparency. - Item 22 (planning-code ordinance establishing bird-safe building standards): passed in first reading by unanimous consent; sponsors said the standard aims to reduce bird collisions with glass. - Items 23'5 (Eastern Neighborhoods planning-code and mapping amendments): passed in first reading by unanimous consent. - Item 26 (CEQA findings and mitigation program for San Joaquin pipelines rehabilitation): adopted by unanimous consent. - Item 27 (Lombard and Scott Street affordable group housing special use district): continued to October to coincide with appeals related to the Edward II project. - Item 28 (resolution authorizing the mayor to cast ballots on behalf of the city for a proposed West Portal Community Benefit District): adopted by unanimous consent. - Item 29 (mayor's nomination reappointment of Audrey Joseph to the Entertainment Commission): motion approved by unanimous consent. - Item 30 (ordinance amending the campaign and governmental conduct code to cap public matching funds tied to spending triggers): continued for one week and referred to closed-session counsel briefing to address litigation risk following the recent U.S. Supreme Court decision affecting similar provisions. - Item 31 (ordinance establishing the City Center Special Sign District for the former Sears site at Masonic and Geary in anticipation of Target and other tenants): passed in first reading by unanimous consent. - Items 32'42 (adoption calendar): adopted by roll call (11 ayes).

Why it matters The meeting advanced a number of budgetary and labor-related measures that change how overtime is budgeted and reported and extended labor agreements that set employee terms through June 30, 2015. The board also moved forward city planning measures that affect development projects and new sign rules in a major retail redevelopment. The continued campaign-finance item signals the board's caution following a recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling and the desire to brief counsel in closed session before taking action that could prompt litigation.

What's next The campaign-finance amendment (item 30) is scheduled for continued consideration next week after closed-session counsel briefing. The Lombard & Scott Street affordable housing item will be re-noticed to coordinate with pending appeals. Several ordinances moved in first reading will return for subsequent readings as required by the City's legislative process.