Youth Commission lays out budget priorities: transit, housing, stipends and expanded youth services

Representatives of the San Francisco Youth Commission presented a package of budget and legislative priorities to the Budget & Appropriations Committee, urging new investments in youth voter outreach, transportation, education supports and housing for transitional-age youth.

Adriana Zhang (Youth Commission chair) and fellow commissioners summarized an omnibus preliminary budget priorities resolution adopted earlier in the term. The Commission recommended funding youth voter outreach and pre-registration for 16- and 17-year-olds, fee waivers for IDs and driver's licenses through DCYF, expanded GED/college support for transitional-age youth who experienced homelessness or difficulty with remote learning, and targeted investments for job readiness and entrepreneurship programs.

For transportation, the commissioners recommended extending permanent funding for the Free Muni for All Youth pilot beyond one year, eliminating nominal fares through age 23, and funding a full-time youth-development staff position at SFMTA to support youth advisory bodies and compensate youth members. For homelessness, the Youth Commission urged the city to implement 400 units of permanent supportive housing for transitional-age youth and to prioritize Prop C dollars for youth housing.

Commissioners also recommended shifting resources away from policing: the presentation urged cutting police-department funding by at least 50% and reallocating those funds to care-centered community safety programs, youth employment and school-based wellness centers. The Commission asked the Board to increase Youth Commission staff salaries and to provide stipends for commissioners to enable sustained participation.

Supervisors praised the commission for concise recommendations, asked for specifics on campaign priorities (for example, returning to Vote 16 in 2024 and advancing Free Muni for All Youth), and encouraged the commission to present concrete engagement plans as the budget process continues. The committee voted to hear and file the item (roll-call; 4 ayes, one member absent).