Ethics director outlines 15% cut scenario and alternative budget requests; Clerk of the Board urges retention of Form 126 system

Director Aaron Ford (identified in the meeting as Director Ford) presented the San Francisco Ethics Commission’s second required public hearing on its proposed budget for fiscal years 2025–26 and 2026–27, including a 15% cut scenario and an alternative request to keep staffing and services intact.

“City law requires each department to have 2 public hearings on its budget each year,” Director Ford said as he opened the presentation and a slide deck. He told commissioners the commission’s operating budget is roughly 87% salaries and benefits and described two budget pathways: (1) a required 15% cut scenario that would reduce the commission’s funded positions from 29 to 25 (four positions) and (2) an alternative request to the mayor’s office to retain staffing and reclassify certain jobs to better align skills and pay.

Ford detailed the 15% cut plan would prioritize keeping core public-facing advice and intake services but would likely eliminate or scale back programs such as the campaign consultants registration and the major developer disclosure…