Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Reentry Employment topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee backs pilot bonding program to encourage employers to hire formerly incarcerated residents
Summary
Supervisors advanced an ordinance to create a local bonding program that would insure employers who hire formerly incarcerated or hard‑to‑place job seekers; the committee amended the draft to add probation agencies to the notification list and moved coordination of the pilot to MOEWD.
The committee reviewed an ordinance to establish a San Francisco bonding program that would enable the city to purchase bonds for employers who agree to hire formerly incarcerated or otherwise hard‑to‑place job seekers. The sponsor said the federal bonding program has seen minimal local use and a city pilot could increase employer participation by reducing perceived hiring risk.
Public testimony strongly supported the program. Nonprofit service providers, reentry advocates and formerly incarcerated speakers stressed employment’s role in reducing recidivism and urged the city to pair the program with outreach to employers. SF Works and business representatives recommended broad eligibility and closer coordination with workforce services.
The committee adopted two technical changes: it moved program coordination from the Department of Human Services to the Mayor’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development to align the initiative with business services, and it amended the notice provisions to include adult probation and juvenile probation among agencies that must notify people exiting the criminal justice system.
With those amendments, the committee voted to forward the bonding pilot to the full Board of Supervisors with a recommendation.
