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Environment department says constrained funding will delay Climate Action Plan without new staffing and a long‑term finance plan
Summary
Acting director Tyrone Joo told the committee the department’s proposed budget is effectively flat and lacks resources to implement the 2021 Climate Action Plan; he said a study with UC Berkeley will recommend long‑term funding options and the commission requested $3.2M in the next fiscal year to begin implementation.
The San Francisco Department of the Environment told supervisors that its proposed budget does not provide the discretionary resources necessary to implement the city's adopted Climate Action Plan. Acting director Tyrone Joo said most operating funds are restricted by grant or fee source, limiting the department’s ability to reallocate staff to building‑ and transportation‑sector strategies that account for a large share of city emissions.
Joo said his department’s budget shows roughly 97 funded positions and about 22 vacancies under active recruitment, resulting in an estimated 22 percent vacancy rate. He described funding constraints: roughly 28 percent of the department’s funds come from impound sources, 28 percent from grants, 11 percent are pass‑through and the remainder is restricted — leaving little discretionary spending to pursue the Plan’s roughly 190 strategies.
The department is working with UC Berkeley on a long‑term funding study and expects a report in late summer; Joo said a budget request submitted to the mayor proposed roughly $3,200,000 in FY23 and $4,100,000 in FY24 to build implementation capacity. “This current budget and proposed budget does not significantly advance that Climate Action Plan,” Joo said, adding that an add‑back of about $300,000 will seed a climate equity hub tied to community outreach.
Why it matters: the Climate Action Plan sets citywide emissions and resilience goals; without dedicated funding and staffing the department said most actions will remain unfunded and implementation timelines will slip.
What’s next: committee members pledged to advocate for additional staffing in the budget process and the department will return with the UC Berkeley study and further staffing details.
