Board approves ordinance to centralize city workforce development under one department

The Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance to centralize San Francisco’s workforce development policy and oversight under the Department of Economic and Workforce Development.

Supervisor Mercarimi said the change responds to fragmentation in the city’s workforce programs. “I believe that the workforce system in San Francisco is broken,” he said, arguing that dollars and programs were spread across multiple agencies and that a centralized approach would better serve low-income residents, immigrants and formerly incarcerated people.

Supporters said the ordinance responds to a recent audit and aims to align disparate funding streams and programs across city departments. Supervisor Amiano, who sponsored the audit earlier, said the measure was necessary to improve outcomes and coordination, and thanked department staff and community stakeholders for their work.

The ordinance adds a new chapter (30.1–30.8) to the administrative code spelling out a centralized workforce policy, oversight responsibilities and interagency coordination. Planning and legal staff reviewed the draft and described it as a structural change to how workforce dollars and programs are administered; supporters said the change is intended to improve placement and retention services for people facing barriers to employment.

The measure passed on first reading with an 11–0 roll call. The department will now finalize implementation steps and report back to the board as specified in the ordinance.