Budget and Finance Committee forwards $350M public-safety and health bond to full Board with no recommendation

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Budget and Finance Committee on Feb. 8 considered two related bond measures and voted to forward them to the full Board as a committee report with no recommendation.

Chair Mark Farrell opened the special meeting and said the committee would hear amended items for a general public-safety and health bond and forward them for the Board's consideration at the full meeting scheduled for the next day. The clerk read Item 1, an ordinance calling a special election on June 7, 2016 to submit a bond proposition to voters, and Item 2, a resolution describing projects such as construction, acquisition, improvement and seismic strengthening for critical community and mental-health emergency response and safety purposes. The clerk stated an estimated cost for those improvements of $350,000,000 and noted that amount is too great to be paid out of ordinary funds.

A motion was made to excuse Supervisor Katie Tang from the meeting; the chair took the motion without objection. The committee had no requests for public comment; the chair opened the public-comment period for Items 1 and 2 and, seeing none, closed it.

During committee discussion, a speaker expressed disappointment with the process and noted that shelters were not included in the bond package; that speaker urged the committee not to delay the measures. Mr. Rose, who had been asked by the chair if he wished to add to a prior report, said staff considered the bond matters to be policy decisions for the Board. Ultimately the committee moved to forward the ordinance and resolution to the full Board as a committee report with no recommendation; the clerk confirmed the "no recommendation" status and the chair noted the motion was taken without objection.

The committee adjourned. The full Board is scheduled to consider the ordinance and resolution at its next meeting.