Rules Committee appoints eight members to new Guaranteed Income Advisory Group

The San Francisco Rules Committee on February 8 forwarded eight nominees to the full Board of Supervisors for appointment to a new Guaranteed Income Advisory Group created by ordinance and to be staffed by the Treasurer’s Office. Chair Aaron Peskin moved the slate and the motion passed without objection.

The advisory group is designed to advise the city on guaranteed income pilots and related policy. Chair Aaron Peskin said the group will work with the Treasurer’s Office and remain in place through January 2023.

Applicants who spoke to the committee described experience in economic-security work and lived experience of poverty. Shirley Yee, an applicant for seats 1–3, said, "My name is Shirley Yee, and I believe I'm a great candidate for seats 1, 2, or 3," and described work on guaranteed income pilots and equity initiatives. Jacob Denny, identified as SPUR's economic justice policy director, described a policy background intended to help end poverty, saying his goal is to "identify interventions that make it so that all people in San Francisco are able to experience economic security." James Pugh, who sought a residency waiver, described five years working on guaranteed income policy with the Universal Income Project and local efforts to protect other benefit eligibility.

Gloria Berry, an applicant for seat 4 that requires lived experience of poverty, detailed past periods of homelessness and use of public benefits; she said the seat should be held by someone who has "personally experienced poverty while living in San Francisco." Roberto Arriaga Vargas described long family roots in San Francisco and nonprofit and UCSF work on health and economic equity and also sought a residency waiver. Elena Chavez Quesada, vice president of programs at the San Francisco Foundation, framed guaranteed income as a straightforward policy tool and cited San Francisco pilot programs as examples of local innovation.

Supervisor Matt Haney praised the applicant pool and acknowledged partner departments and organizations, saying the Treasurer's Office "will be staffing the group and will help lead efforts towards creating guaranteed income programs." The clerk later clarified that Shirley Lee Yee, James Pugh and Roberto Vargas have residency waivers.

The committee's motion names the eight recommended appointees and will bring them to the full Board for final confirmation.

Next steps: the full Board of Supervisors will consider the committee's recommendations at a subsequent meeting. The advisory group will begin its work once appointments are confirmed and the Treasurer's Office begins staffing duties.