Stakeholders urge expanding and stabilizing Children’s Fund and PEAF; committee files hearing for further work

Superintendent Richard Carranza and Maria Hsu, director of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families (DCYF), presented the Our Children Our City (OCOC) stakeholder process and four broad recommendations: stronger cross‑agency collaboration, a holistic approach to learning, continued support for family and youth services, and a plan to diversify and sustain funding.

Presentations emphasized an equity lens and data‑driven targeting of services. The working group described a proposed structure that would retain the two funds as separate measures on one ballot, create a children and family council to align city and school district leadership, and improve data sharing and planning cycles. The working group also signaled intent to align planning cycles (some stakeholders recommended a five‑year planning cycle) and to institutionalize community voice.

Community organizations and a broad coalition of nonprofits urged several additional policy changes: remove the PEAF trigger language that has produced unstable funding for schools and preschool programs; remove or clarify in‑kind contribution accounting in PEAF to avoid double‑counting; expand the Children’s Fund age range to include disconnected transitional‑age youth up to age 24; and increase the Children’s Fund set‑aside from 3¢ of assessed value per $100 to 5¢ to meet rising need. Community speakers presented polling showing strong voter support for an increase and argued that service gaps (waiting lists for childcare, workforce and mental‑health services) require either an increased set‑aside or different revenue approach.

Multiple community speakers highlighted specific equity concerns: disproportionate outcomes for African American boys, the need for gender‑responsive services for girls, and the need to ensure that commission representation includes parents and youth. Many CBO leaders asked that any governing commission include robust community representation and clear oversight authority for DCYF expenditures.

After lengthy public comment, Supervisor John Avalos moved to file the item for further work; the motion was taken without objection and the committee agreed to convene additional stakeholder meetings to finalize charter language and funding mechanics before returning the amendment for final review.

What happens next: Committee staff will convene follow‑up meetings with OCOC, community coalitions and city offices to draft specific charter and implementing language, including proposed set‑aside amounts, age ranges, commission design and planning cycle. Those drafts will return to the Board for further consideration and, if approved, to the ballot for voter decision.

Quoted from the record: "Equity means that you don't give the same to everyone; you recognize that there are communities... that need additional supports," Superintendent Richard Carranza said. Community coalition speaker Chelsea Boylard said the coalition recommends increasing the Children’s Fund set‑aside to 5¢ of every $100 of assessed property value and removing sunset/trigger language to stabilize funding and planning.

Notes on scope and numbers: Multiple community groups presented estimates and polling supporting the fund increase; speakers also cited an increase in childhood poverty and thousands of transitional‑age youth (18–24) who are disconnected and at high risk. The committee filed the presentation and asked for continued negotiation on exact charter language.