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Community Benefit Agreements: CAC reports funds raised for neighborhood schools, committee files report
Summary
The Central Market/Tenderloin Community Advisory Committee reported hundreds of thousands in grants, volunteer hours and an immediate fundraising success — more than $40,000 to retain a literacy expert and additional funds for neighborhood schools. The committee filed the report without objection.
The Land Use Committee heard a report May 7 from the Central Market/Tenderloin Community Advisory Committee (CAC) on Community Benefit Agreements (CBAs) associated with the payroll expense tax exclusion.
Sam Dennison, the CAC chair, told the committee that the CAC has secured hundreds of thousands of dollars in grants, volunteer hours and in-kind donations from participating companies and that several multi‑company collaborative efforts are underway. Dennison highlighted a near-term success: CBA companies pooled contributions to raise more than $40,000 to retain a literacy expert at Reading School, with additional grants to nearby Bessie Carmichael and Tenderloin Community School.
Dennison said the CAC has had successes but also structural limits: membership attrition reduced the committee's size and the CAC lacked formal enforcement authority to compel uniform commitments across companies. She urged that a pooled common fund and longer-term commitments could increase the program's impact and that some CBA partners have expressed interest in continuing commitments even after the payroll exclusion sunsets in 2019.
A public commenter, Adar Duffy, provided historical context for the program and supported closing the program to new applicants in future. Supervisor Jane Kim moved to file the CAC report; the committee filed the hearing record "without objection." The committee thanked CAC volunteers and staff support from the City Administrator's Office.
Next steps: The CAC and City staff will continue outreach and implementation as the payroll exclusion enters its final year; committee filing preserves the record and supports follow-up work to evaluate program lessons and longer-term commitments.
