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Budget and Finance Committee concurs with Controller’s Prop J certification for contractor services
Summary
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee approved a resolution concurring with the Controller’s Proposition J certification that found certain SFMTA, airport, Port of San Francisco and Public Utilities Commission services remain more cost‑effective when contracted than performed by city employees. Committee members asked about the report’s "emergency" language and whether contracted jobs could be converted to city employment; staff said that analysis is outside the Controller’s scope.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee voted to approve a resolution concurring with the Controller’s certification under Proposition J that identified services at the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, the airport, the Port of San Francisco and the Public Utilities Commission as more cost‑effective when performed by private contractors than by city employees.
Risa Sandler of the Controller’s Office presented the item, saying the office compared contract costs with what it would cost city staff to perform the same work and that a Controller’s certification letter documents savings in each case. "In all of these ... you’ll see there's a certification letter from the controller showing that there's savings to perform these services as contracted services in each of these cases," Sandler said.
Chair framed the issue as recurring and sometimes contentious, noting it covers several departments and a range of services. The Chair also asked that the record reflect labor partners had not spoken in opposition: "we haven't heard from any 1 of our labor partners or labor leaders, that would be against or speaking against this, this certification," the Chair said.
Supervisor Matt Feuer asked about the report's reference to an "emergency" justification for certain contract awards and whether the city has examined hiring the workers instead of contracting them, noting many positions are entry level. "So, what constitutes an emergency?" Feuer asked. Sandler replied that the emergency language is standard in the resolution and that "the Controller's Office does not look at that. We just compare the contract cost versus what it would cost for the city to provide the service," saying that questions about employing contractors as city staff would be a departmental or mayoral policy consideration.
The committee record shows the certification covers multiple service types: Sandler described "6 different kinds of services for the SFMTA, 4 for the airport, [and] 2 for the port" as part of this year's certifications. The meeting record also notes there was no budget legislative analyst report on the item and that no members of the public offered comment.
The Chair moved to approve the resolution with a positive recommendation; Supervisor Yee seconded the motion. The committee approved the item without objection and adjourned.
Next steps: the approved concurrence completes this committee's action on the Controller’s Proposition J certification; the transcript does not specify subsequent dates for any related departmental follow-up.
