Rules Committee advances ordinance to implement mayoral Q&A requirement, with clerk deadlines amended

The Rules Committee advanced an ordinance on Feb. 17 to amend the Administrative Code and establish a process for the mayor to appear monthly before the Board of Supervisors, implementing a charter amendment approved by voters last November.

President Hsu described the measure as intended to foster "good government, open dialogue and transparency," and said the ordinance was drafted "in consultation with the mayor." He said the charter requires monthly mayoral appearances and the ordinance seeks to ensure those appearances are used for substantive policy discussion rather than soundbites.

The Clerk recommended several technical edits, including gender-neutral language and shifting the deadline for submitting questions to 12 noon on Wednesdays so the clerk can prepare the agenda materials. The Clerk also proposed that only the board president communicate rescheduling requests to the clerk when agendas remain in draft.

Public comment included opposition from Thomas Picarello, who argued the ordinance imposes too many restrictions on supervisors’ questions — saying the requirement to prepare questions a week in advance and time-limited questioning amounts to a prior restraint. Supervisor Ellsberg moved to adopt the president’s technical amendments but to remove the board president from the question-review language, transferring review authority to the clerk. That amendment was seconded and the committee moved the ordinance forward with the agreed edits "without objections." The ordinance will return to the full Board for consideration.