Rules Committee appoints slate to Immigrant Rights Commission; several seats granted residency waivers

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee on an October date heard brief statements from 14 applicants for 11 seats on the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission and voted to appoint a slate of nominees, leaving one seat vacant.

Supervisor Shamone Walton, chair of the Rules Committee, moved the slate and called for the vote; Vice Chair Supervisor Cheryl and Supervisor Mandelmann voted with Walton. Chair Walton announced, "That motion passes without objection." The clerk confirmed the appointments will be transmitted to the Board agenda on Oct. 28.

Committee members heard about each nominee's background and priorities before the vote. Asil Farah, who identified themself as "the first Yemeni American to serve on the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission," described work as a Tenderloin planner and community liaison and cited prior advocacy including organizing a hearing and authoring a resolution condemning a proposed travel ban. "This city gave us opportunity, and I've dedicated my life to giving back to it," Farah said.

Sarah Souza, a DACA recipient and current commission chair, asked for reappointment and cited the effect of Commissions for All (Proposition C), saying it allowed "all San Franciscans to have a seat at the table regardless of their immigration status." Other speakers who sought appointment or reappointment included Celine Kennelly, Jose (transcript: 'Jose Un'), Kudrat Chaudhry Kantilis (requesting a residency waiver), Laura Padilla, Lucia Bregan, Mario Paz, Sameem Shaikh, Adubu Traore, and others. Several nominees described long-standing community work, including language access, participatory budgeting, immigrant leadership awards, and defending sanctuary-city policies.

The clerk called Item 1 as a consent hearing for appointing five members with terms ending June 6, 2026, and six members with terms ending June 6, 2027. Chair Walton moved to appoint the named slate, which the clerk read aloud; the committee approved the appointments, with residency waivers granted for the seats the motion specified. The motion as read named appointments to seats 2–11; seat 1 remains unfilled at this time.

Votes at a glance Motion: Appoint a slate of nominees to the San Francisco Immigrant Rights Commission, leave seat 1 vacant, and include specified residency waivers. Mover: Supervisor Shamone Walton Second: not specified in transcript Vote: Vice Chair Supervisor Cheryl — Aye; Supervisor Mandelmann — Aye; Chair Walton — Aye Tally: yes 3, no 0, abstain 0 Outcome: approved (motion passed without objection)

Why it matters The Immigrant Rights Commission advises the city on policies affecting immigrant communities and has been active on matters including language access and sanctuary-city protections. Nominees emphasized representation for particular communities — including Yemeni, South Asian, Irish, Latinx and African immigrant communities — and said the commission's work is especially important given recent state and federal developments that they described as challenging for immigrants.

What comes next Per the clerk, items acted on by the committee are expected to appear on the full Board of Supervisors agenda on Oct. 28 unless otherwise stated. The committee adjourned after completing the agenda.