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Board committee backs charter amendment to allow both city employees in a family full parental leave and retain sick time
Summary
Supervisors forwarded a charter amendment to the full board that would let each qualifying city employee in the same family receive the full paid parental leave benefit and allow employees to retain 40 hours of accrued sick leave at the end of paid parental leave; multiple city departments and advocacy groups voiced support.
The Rules Committee on July 9 voted to forward to the full Board of Supervisors a charter amendment proposed by Supervisor Katie Tang to change San Francisco’s paid parental leave rules.
Supervisor Katie Tang said all 11 supervisors co‑sponsored the proposal, which would (1) permit each qualifying city employee in the same family to receive the maximum paid parental leave for which they qualify, rather than splitting the benefit between two city employees, and (2) allow employees to retain 40 hours of accrued sick leave when they begin paid parental leave so they have time available for care after they return to work. "Allowing our city workers to each be entitled to the benefit if they're married or in a domestic partnership with another city employee I think is just a fair thing to do," Tang said.
Department and stakeholder testimony supported the change. Janie White, medical lead program manager at the Department of Human Resources, said the proposal "ensures that both parents will get 12 weeks," and noted the city had funded a paid parental‑leave counselor to help employees navigate federal, state and local rules. Elizabeth Newman of the Department on the Status of Women framed the change as improving infant and maternal health outcomes and increasing father involvement.
Speakers from First 5 and the San Francisco Family Support Network supported the amendment and suggested additional early‑childhood supports (for example, home visiting). Supervisors asked departments to return with implementation details; the committee forwarded the measure with a positive recommendation to the full board.
