Budget committee continues $50 million appropriation for Office of Reparations after public support

SAN FRANCISCO — The Budget & Appropriations Committee on June 28 considered an ordinance appropriating $50,000,000 from general-fund reserves to the Human Rights Commission to establish an Office of Reparations and implement approved recommendations for fiscal year 2022–23, then voted to continue the item to the call of the chair after public comment.

Chair Supervisor Connie Chan opened the special meeting and called the item for public comment. Supervisor Shamone Walton framed the appropriation as funding to "fully staff the office, provide administrative and fiscal support," and to "research individuals who will qualify" as part of carrying out recommendations from the African American Reparations Advisory Committee (the reparations task force). Walton moved to continue the item to the call of the chair; Chan seconded the motion.

Why it matters: The appropriation would fund the creation of a city Office of Reparations intended to carry forward the task force's recommendations, create staffing and administrative capacity, and begin the work of identifying potential beneficiaries and implementing approved measures. The Board previously accepted the task force's draft report on March 14, which supporters said commits the city to pursuing reparations.

Public commenters strongly supported moving the measure forward. Bobby Jones, a native San Franciscan, told supervisors, "This is not a issue about money. The issue is, do you care about our community?" Leah McGeever said "the enormous magnitude of reparations is going to take a lot of work, and so it's logical to create and fund an office of reparations," and read an account attributed to a formerly enslaved person to underscore historical harms. Jennifer Freedombach of the Coalition on Homelessness said institutional racism contributes to homelessness and voiced organizational support. Other speakers, including Beverly Upton of the Domestic Violence Consortium and Bill Tamayo, who cited federal reparations for Japanese Americans after World War II as precedent, also urged action.

The vote and next steps: With remote callers absent, the committee closed public comment and held a roll call. Members Asha Safaei, Shamone Walton and Connie Chan voted "aye." Vice Chair Madeleine and Member Ronen were recorded absent. The motion to continue the ordinance to the call of the chair passed 3–0. The committee adjourned and indicated it would reconvene the recessed budget meeting at the time stated by the chair.

Background and context: Supporters said the Office of Reparations would provide staff capacity to research eligibility, administer programs, and implement approved recommendations from a task force that is set to sunset. The ordinance was introduced on the committee agenda as an appropriation from General Fund reserves for fiscal year 2022–23. The clerk announced procedures for hybrid public comment and that in-person speakers are given priority followed by callers who dialed into the queue.

What was not decided: The committee did not take final action on the ordinance; the motion continued the item to the call of the chair. Specific program details, eligibilty criteria, implementation timeline and a definitive appropriation schedule were not adopted at the meeting and were listed as not specified in the record.

The committee's record of the motion shows Supervisor Walton as the mover and Chair Connie Chan as the seconder; the roll call recorded three ayes and two absences. Further committee consideration or a scheduled future hearing was not specified in the meeting record.