Environment commission adopts two-year budget and urges mayor to keep general fund climate positions

The San Francisco Commission on the Environment voted Feb. 5 to approve the department's proposed budgets for fiscal years 2024–25 and 2025–26 and separately approved a letter asking the mayor to preserve general fund support for five climate-action positions.

Deputy Director Leo Chee and budget manager Jill Salem presented the AAO and operating budgets, describing an AAO request of roughly $38 million for FY25 and an operating spending plan near $42 million. Salem said the department expects a modest $150,000 deficit for FY25, primarily tied to a mandatory 10% cut in general-fund support directed by the mayor's office. The presenters emphasized that grants and a refuse-impound account provide most revenue; the department reported more than $42 million in secured grant awards and an active grant pipeline.

Commissioners heard citywide fiscal context: the mayor's office projects a $245 million shortfall for FY24–25 that could expand to $554 million the following year, and has asked departments that receive general fund to propose 10% ongoing reductions and 5% contingency proposals. Staff said the department's 10% general-fund reduction translates to about $200,000 per year and noted an approximate $1.3 million shortfall risk in the second year if assumed climate-action funding is not restored.

Commissioner Mike Sullivan introduced and won approval for a separate commission letter asking the mayor to fund the five general-fund climate positions in FY25–26 to preserve the department's grant-generation and program implementation capacity. "We rely on these positions to generate grant funding," Sullivan said during discussion. The commission approved both the budget and the letter by roll-call votes with no public comment.

Next steps: staff will finalize and submit the AAO by Feb. 21 and continue conversations with the mayor's office about general-fund assumptions and hiring plans. The commission asked staff to model programmatic impacts if second-year funding is not restored.