Youth Commission asks supervisors to protect funding for transit, school meals, housing and climate programs

SAN FRANCISCO — The San Francisco Youth Commission told the Board of Supervisors’ Budget and Appropriation Committee on March 19 that city leaders should preserve and prioritize funding for youth programs as they prepare budgets for the next two fiscal years.

"The city is in a near $1,000,000,000 budget deficit," Jason Fong, chair of the San Francisco Youth Commission, said during the presentation, adding that the commission framed its recommendations with the shortfall in mind. The commission presented a report with priorities that include continued support for free Muni for youth, completion of a central school kitchen to improve school meals, expanded affordable and teacher housing, climate-resilience measures for young people and stronger youth employment pathways.

The commission, a 17-member chartered advisory body that represents young people and advises the mayor and board of supervisors, said it conducted extensive outreach this year before drafting the priorities. "We embarked on one of the most, if not the most extensive community outreach initiatives in the history of the Youth Commission," Fong said.

Why it matters: The items the commission highlighted intersect with core city services and the mayor’s and board’s budget decisions. The commission framed many requests as maintenance of existing programs (such as…