The San Francisco Historic Preservation Commission voted unanimously Feb. 15 to recommend approval of the Planning Department’s proposed budget and work program for fiscal years 2023–2025, after a presentation by department staff that outlined revenue declines and proposed staffing adjustments.

Deborah Landis, planning department staff, said the department has seen a “softening of volume and revenue” since the pandemic and was asked to trim general‑fund support by “about half a million dollars” and reduce fee revenue by roughly $2,000,000. Landis told commissioners the department’s fee revenue fell from about $40 million in earlier years to closer to $30 million now — “a drop of about $10,000,000” she said — and that the city is projecting a two‑year deficit of about $728,000,000.

The presentation laid out how staff propose to respond: cutting roughly half of current vacant positions, aligning personnel costs to lower projected revenues and reducing project funding that had included one‑time allocations. Landis summarized the calendar for adoption, saying the department must submit its proposed budget to the mayor’s office by Feb. 21.

Commissioners asked questions about preservation‑program priorities and equity analysis embedded in the budget packet. After the discussion, Commissioner Foley moved and the commission approved forwarding the department’s recommendations to the mayor and Board of Supervisors; the motion passed unanimously.

The commission’s action is advisory: the Planning Department will transmit the recommendations, and the mayor’s budget and the Board of Supervisors’ review will follow later in the calendar.

The commission’s packet and staff presentation include the department’s revenue and expenditure tables and the racial and social equity analysis that accompanied the proposed work program.