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Supervisors hear controller: voter-mandated 'baselines' now tie up roughly 30% of San Francisco's general fund
Summary
A Budget & Finance Committee hearing on voter-mandated spending requirements showed baselines grew from about $200 million in the mid-1990s to roughly $1.2–$1.6 billion projected in coming years, reducing annual discretionary budget flexibility. Committee members asked staff for policy options including expirations and suspension triggers.
The Budget and Finance Committee on [date not specified] heard a controller’s office review showing voter-mandated spending requirements — often called "baselines" or set-asides — have grown materially and now occupy a substantial share of the city’s general fund.
Supervisor Aaron Peskin, a co-sponsor of the hearing, said the change is dramatic: "The baseline spending has increased from about $200,000,000 in the mid nineties to $1,200,000,000 today," and said while the set-asides fund worthy causes, they constrain policymakers’ annual choices. Supervisor Jane Tang, the other sponsor, said the study’s findings were "very telling" and announced plans to pursue policies to address baselines and set-asides.
Michelle Elersema of the…
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