Committee expands interim budget period, delays IHSS wage increase and places new privacy officer position on reserve

The Budget & Appropriations Committee on June 10 considered three interim measures that would carry spending from July through September while the city finalizes its two-year budget. The mayor's transmittal and the Budget & Legislative Analyst's review describe the interim appropriations as a continuity measure extended to three months this year because of COVID-19-related revenue uncertainty.

BLA staff (Dan Goncher) told the committee the mayor's interim transmittal contains three main changes from the previously adopted baseline: wage delays consistent with the March joint report, no appropriation for the IHSS (in-home supportive services) hourly increase on July 1, and no July 1 implementation of a 2.5% cost-of-doing-business increase for nonprofit providers. The report noted a $4,700,000 decline in IHSS aid payments relative to the prior budget baseline and recommended that a newly authorized Chief Privacy Officer classification (total FY budget $280,214) be placed on reserve or deleted pending review.

Several supervisors urged caution about delaying the IHSS wage increase. The committee chair (identified in the transcript as Sandra Lee Buer) said she was "uncomfortable with actually postponing this wage increase" and emphasized the point that IHSS workers are among the city's lowest-paid workers, that most are women of color, and that the city relied on their services during the pandemic. Members discussed whether prorating the increase for one quarter would create a lower short-term cost but observed the ordinance language would prorate the schedule only if a lower appropriation were included.

Votes and actions: The committee adopted the BLA recommendation to place the Chief Privacy Officer position on reserve (roll-call: 4 ayes, 0 noes, Supervisor Walton absent). The committee then voted to continue the interim budget ordinances, as amended, to the next Budget & Appropriations Committee meeting to allow additional time to consider alternatives and detailed impacts on the IHSS increase.

Public comment: Callers urged the city to prioritize IHSS workers and asked staff to explore federal funding options and to post budget documents for public review. Other commenters raised procedural questions about the MTA interim budget materials and signature pages.

What's next: Committee members asked staff to return with options to avoid balancing the budget on the backs of low-wage workers and to provide clearer documentation on the MTA and other departmental baselines before the next committee meeting.