SFPUC details Community Benefits Program; community leaders urge continued grants and internships

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission on Tuesday reviewed its Community Benefits Program and heard wide support from community groups, city offices and private contractors for continued funding of internships, youth employment and local contracting initiatives.

Juliette Ellis, assistant general manager for external affairs, introduced the presentation and clarified the PUC's ‘good neighbor’ approach is an agency‑led set of planning and programming commitments distinct from a legally negotiated community benefit agreement. Kaye Fernandez Smith, director of the Community Benefits and Social Responsibility Program, told the commission staff have organized work across five program areas — education, workforce development, small business contracting, secondary land uses and public art — and are building a metrics system in partnership with the Controller’s Office to track outcomes.

"We are committed to being a good neighbor in the communities we serve and operate in throughout San Francisco," Ellis said, describing historical efforts such as the Garden Project pre‑apprenticeship program and Project Pull internships. Fernandez Smith said the program has expanded education investments and in recent years reached more than 27,000 students and more than 700 teachers, while youth employment opportunities grew to support over 1,200 young people in 2014.

Community partners spoke in favor of continuing grant funding and programmatic support. Hydra Mendoza, a senior advisor to the mayor on education and a member of the Board of Education, thanked the PUC for partnerships that expose students to facilities such as Camp Mather and Hetch Hetchy. Kyle Patterson of the Controller’s Office described his team’s work with the Community Benefits Program to develop an evaluation system. Multiple nonprofits and private‑sector partners — including City College representatives, the A. Philip Randolph Institute, SPARK and Young Community Developers — emphasized internships, mentorships and hands‑on learning opportunities.

Several speakers from Bayview Hunters Point and Southeast neighborhoods said the program has produced measurable employment and training benefits; Lottie Whiteside and Lena Miller described residents gaining work and skills through PUC‑funded initiatives. At the same time, vocal concerns about equity and contracting were raised: one commenter alleged longstanding disparities in contracting dollars reaching black contractors and residents in the Bayview area.

Commissioners thanked staff and community speakers. As part of the meeting’s consent calendar, the commission approved Amendment No. 1 to agreement CS371, increasing the agreement by $350,000 and extending the duration by six months to continue grant support for community benefits programming.

The presentation also noted staff procurement of a Salesforce database and collaboration with the Controller’s Office to move from counting participants toward evaluating program impacts. Fernandez Smith said the PUC has added community benefits requirements to professional services RFPs above $5,000,000 to secure private‑sector contributions of time and funds. The commission signaled support for continued evaluation and for integrating the Community Benefits program with other policy and budget planning in the coming year.

The meeting moved on after public comment; commissioners said they would return to other agenda items, including consent items and project approvals.