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Board committee advances ordinance to downsize Child Care Planning Advisory Council and create executive committee
Summary
The Rules Committee recommended forwarding an ordinance to reduce the Child Care Planning Advisory Council membership from 30 to 25, create an executive committee to act between meetings, and keep existing attendance rules (four unexcused absences in 12 months triggers resignation). Staff and supervisors said the change aims to improve quorum and timely action.
Chair David Campos opened the Rules Committee and called Item 3, an ordinance introduced by President David Chu to amend the San Francisco Administrative Code governing the Child Care Planning Advisory Council (CPAC). Jamie Cantwell of President Chu’s office and Graham Dobson, CPAC’s staff coordinator, presented the measure.
Dobson said the council originally had 30 seats and that maintaining quorum was difficult under that size. He told the committee the council’s active membership is currently about 23–24 and that reducing the membership to 25 would make quorum more feasible. He described the executive committee provision as a way to allow timely action on time-sensitive matters such as letters of support, budget issues and legislation between monthly meetings.
Supervisor Eric Marr asked about attendance and replacement of members. Dobson said attendance has been strong during his 3½ years as staff coordinator and that the ordinance does not change the attendance standard: a member who misses four meetings in a 12-month period without express approval of the council is deemed to have resigned. Marr also noted the stipend increase in the draft (from $25 to up to $50 per meeting); Dobson said stipends come from the local contract/grant that funds the council and that the council sets the stipend amount.
Supervisors praised the aim of improving attendance and making appointments more flexible across appointing bodies while preserving guaranteed representation for certain sectors (for example, the school district and Head Start). No public speakers came forward on this item. Supervisor Marr moved a positive recommendation; the committee took the motion without objection and the ordinance will be forwarded to the full Board of Supervisors for consideration.
The committee record shows the ordinance reduces membership to 25, retains the existing attendance rule (four unexcused absences in 12 months = deemed resignation), and establishes a council executive committee with authority to act between meetings for limited, time-sensitive matters.
