Supervisors table two special-events ordinances, approve amended hiring step to staff office

Supervisor Bevin Dufty told the Budget and Finance Committee on Jan. 16 that the city must do more to plan large public gatherings after safety issues forced cancellation of a Castro Halloween event, saying “the entire Bay Area simply doesn't fit into the Castro neighborhood” and that the city needs a better approach to neighborhood-based events.

The committee heard a summary from Monique Smuta of the Controller's Office, whose audit recommended creating an Office of Special Events to attract and promote events, improve permitting, provide a single point of contact and host a public-facing website. "Based on these findings, we recommended that the city create an office of special events," Smuta said, while noting the office could be placed either under the mayor's office or within the Entertainment Commission.

Industry stakeholders and Entertainment Commission members strongly urged housing the staff in the commission. Terrence Allen, speaking as a commissioner and industry representative, said a single point of contact must have authority and funding and warned that "simply creating this one person event, outdoor event person could actually make things worse" if that post lacks support. Audrey Joseph, president of the Entertainment Commission, told supervisors, "The commission already does the work of this special event office" but said the commission is "terribly understaffed."

The Budget Analyst, Deborah Newman, recommended amending the salary ordinance (item 3) to change the proposed mayoral staff classification to an Entertainment Commission manager 2 (0923), reduce the remainder-of-year FTE from 0.5 to 0.33 and set a tentative March 1 start; she estimated a maximum of $45,600 for salary and fringe for the remainder of the fiscal year. "We anticipate a maximum of $45,600 for both the salary and fringe benefits for that position," Newman said.

Supervisor Dufty moved to table items 1 and 2 (legislative proposals to assign duties and to create an office under the mayor) and to adopt the Budget Analyst's recommended amendment to item 3 while pursuing a reappropriation of operating funds from the Mayor's Office of Economic and Workforce Development to cover the position. Chair Supervisor Aaron Peskin said, without objection, that items 1 and 2 were tabled, the amendments to item 3 were adopted, and the matter was continued to the committee meeting two weeks later.

The committee requested additional budget detail from the mayor's office about midyear positions and the source of reappropriated funds before finalizing broader structural changes. Dufty said the incremental approach is intended to allow planning for this year's Halloween and to give the mayor time to propose any larger restructuring.

The committee will revisit the amended salary item and any reappropriation request at its next scheduled meeting two weeks from Jan. 16.