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Budget analysts lay out socioeconomic equity indicators; supervisors push for equity lens in budget
Summary
The Budget & Legislative Analyst presented a socioeconomic equity report showing neighborhood and racial disparities—declines in the black population, gaps in median income and prenatal care, and overrepresentation in incarceration—and supervisors asked the analysts to develop a Phase 2 linking indicators to departmental budget allocations.
Supervisor John Avalos opened a June 5 hearing on a Budget & Legislative Analyst report titled Socioeconomic Equity in the City and County of San Francisco and urged that the report be used as a framework to guide budget and policy priorities.
Fred Brousseau, the analyst leading the project, presented indicators by race, ethnicity and supervisorial district. He noted the city has become more diverse over the last 30 years but highlighted a 35.7 percent decline in the black or African American population. Other indicators included educational attainment disparities (citywide 50.6 percent with a college degree, ranging from 28 percent in District 10 to 78 percent in District 2), median household income differences (from $37,431 to $105,509 by district), poverty rates (citywide 12 percent with a range up to 22 percent in District 6), and that black residents comprised 55.5 percent of the incarcerated population in 2012 while representing 6.3 percent of the city's total population.
Supervisors reacted strongly to the findings. Supervisor London Breed described the statistics as "quite depressing" and called for aggressive, targeted solutions to stop the decline of the African American community. Several supervisors supported directing the budget office to develop an approach to use indicators as a budgetary lens and to produce Phase 2 of the report (timed to begin after budget review and to conclude in August) examining how departmental allocations address identified inequities.
Community commenters, including representatives from Renaissance and others, urged restoration of funding to proven local youth programs and described successful job fairs and placement outcomes. The committee agreed to continue the discussion, ask the budget analysts to develop a framework for internal use in budget hearings and return with additional proposals.
Next steps: Budget analysts will begin Phase 2 after the budget review with a target completion in August and the committee will continue the equity discussion at a follow-up meeting.
