Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Early Childhood topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rules Committee advances Prop C implementation, gives Office of Early Care and Education nine months to draft spending plan
Summary
The San Francisco Rules Committee voted to pass out implementing legislation for Proposition C (Early Care and Education for All) with amendments that add local planning bodies, set a 10% minimum wage increase target for early‑educators and extend the initial planning window from six to nine months; the committee moved the ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
The San Francisco Rules Committee on Sept. 12 advanced an ordinance to implement Proposition C, the voter‑approved Early Care and Education for All initiative, asking the Office of Early Care and Education to produce an initial five‑year spending plan within nine months and directing broad community engagement.
Supervisor (spoken in the record) framed the ordinance as the next step to put the voter‑approved program into action, saying the measure represents a major local investment and that "this revenue for this measure is only generated through a tax to the largest commercial landlords in the city" and that the city will "fight not only to invest in early education, working families, and our educators, but will work to uphold the will of the San Francisco voters." The committee incorporated amendments to explicitly include First 5 San Francisco and the local Childcare Planning and Advisory Council (CPAC) in the planning process, to set a minimum starting wage increase of 10 percent as a floor for early‑education staff, and to add an aspirational compensation goal targeting parity with K–12 educators.
September Jarrett, director of the Office of Early Care and Education, told the committee the office supports the legislation and agreed a nine‑month window would allow the office to engage busy parents and providers: "We appreciate the flexibility and...we are committed to the urgency," Jarrett said, adding the office would submit the plan sooner if ready.
Supporters from local organizations and parents filled the public‑comment period. Ingrid Mesquita, director of First 5 San Francisco, said First 5 stands ready to partner with the city to implement Prop C as other tobacco‑based local funding streams decline. Monica Walters, chair of the local childcare planning council (CPAC), said CPAC embraces inclusion in the planning process and found nine months a reasonable goal. Providers and advocates at the meeting urged rapid implementation and emphasized workforce shortages and low wages.
Committee members discussed the legal challenges filed against Prop C by outside groups including the Howard Jarvis Taxpayers Association and a commercial landlords’ group (BOMA). The committee moved ahead with planning and legislative steps "as if nothing's in our way," acknowledging that revenue collection is not expected to begin until the first quarter of the following year and that funds could be held in reserve pending legal clarity. The measure was passed out to the full Board with a positive recommendation and no objection.
Next steps: the ordinance and the amended language will go to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration; the Office of Early Care and Education will prepare the initial spending plan and report back within the nine‑month window requested by the committee.
