Rules committee continues Peskin’s proposal to add monthly mayor appearance to board calendar

Supervisor Peskin on behalf of the sponsor introduced a motion to add a board rule implementing Proposition I so that the board’s calendar "for the third Tuesday of each month shall include an item for the mayor to appear in person before the Board of Supervisors and engage in formal policy discussions with members of the board." He read draft language for a clerk script and said the rule would remove the item from the agenda if the mayor failed to appear within five minutes and that public comment for the item would take place during general public comment.

Chair Ross Mercurimi and several supervisors pushed back on operational questions and timing. Supervisor Ellsberg said "the way this was put on the ballot undermined the charter," arguing the initiative’s placement on the ballot raised questions about whether the measure created a binding obligation and calling for clarity about noticing, ADA compliance, whether a quorum of supervisors at an off‑site meeting would trigger open‑meeting rules, and who would bear the costs. Supervisor Tom Ammiano urged a neutral mediator to clarify what the rule would mean in practice and asked for specific limits on questioning time to avoid politicization.

Miss Crowley, the mayor’s liaison to the Board, told the committee she would relay supervisors’ concerns to the mayor and said the mayor was "very enthused about having meetings out in the community" and hoped supervisors would participate. Clerk of the Board Gloria Young told supervisors that town‑hall or satellite meetings typically cost "between $10,000 to $15,000 per meeting," and members discussed the budget process as a mechanism to pay for live coverage or other expenses for off‑site meetings.

A member of the public, Francisco de Costa, urged regular district meetings and more focused reporting, saying the select committee on violence had not provided consistent, district‑specific updates. After discussion and offers to negotiate with the mayor’s office (including the possibility of third‑party shuttle diplomacy), the committee accepted Supervisor Peskin’s proposed amendments and agreed to continue the item for one week to allow additional collaboration; the item will not be listed as a committee report while continued and may appear on a future board calendar depending on negotiations.

Next steps: the committee continued consideration of the rule to the next Rules Committee meeting and asked staff and the mayor’s liaison to work with the sponsor on time, place, manner, and procedural clarifications.