Rules committee continues Melgar charter amendment to track children and youth spending

Supervisor Myrna Melgar presented a first‑draft charter amendment July 1 intended to strengthen oversight and outcomes for city spending that affects children, youth and families.

Melgar said the amendment would centralize planning and require the Our Children Our Families initiative to use a five‑year budget and services planning process driven by a community needs assessment, public outreach, benchmarks and reporting. The proposal would require the mayor and Board of Supervisors to consider the initiative’s findings during the annual budget process, hold dedicated hearings and — for certain school‑district funding — require SFUSD to submit proposals and annual reports. Melgar said the aim is to ensure the city’s investments produce measurable impacts on social‑emotional health and education outcomes.

One public commenter — a long‑time teacher — urged supervisors to avoid adding another layer of bureaucracy, saying the city’s departments already track outcomes and the amendment would create “more layers, more layers” of red tape. The committee heard no other public commenters on this item.

Chair Ronan moved to continue the item to the call of the chair. The clerk recorded roll call votes: Vice Chair Shamann Walton 'Aye'; Supervisor Safa 'Aye'; Chair Ronan 'Aye'. The motion to continue Item 1 passed without objection. The item will return to committee with proposed clarifications aligning the amendment with SFUSD budget timelines and with specific language about the council’s membership and election timing.