Budget committee approves waiver to fund security at Planned Parenthood clinic

The San Francisco Budget and Finance Committee on April 5 amended and recommended an ordinance that would let the Department of Public Health (DPH) award a one‑time grant of up to $400,000 to Planned Parenthood Northern California to fund security personnel at clinic sites.

Dominica Donovan, legislative aide to Supervisor Catherine Stefani, said the funding is a citywide add‑back meant solely for Planned Parenthood security, citing a national uptick in threats to reproductive health providers and federal advisories. "Absent adequately trained security personnel, patients seeking care may be deterred from doing so by threats of intimidation," Donovan said.

DPH staff told the committee the grant would allow the clinic to contract with S2 Security, a contractor long used by Planned Parenthood that deploys licensed, armed officers who the department described as mostly retired law‑enforcement personnel. Committee members asked whether the S2 staff were former San Francisco police officers; DPH replied they were not SFPD.

The Budget and Legislative Analyst (BLA) recommended adding a reporting requirement. After discussion about timing and the best way to memorialize oversight, the committee approved an amendment requiring DPH to submit an annual report on the selected security contractor, staffing levels and a summary of security incidents during the reporting period. The committee then voted to forward the amended ordinance to the full Board with a positive recommendation.

The ordinance would waive competitive solicitation requirements in Administrative Code Chapter 21G for this grant; DPH said the reporting structure recommended by the BLA will be incorporated into the grant agreement rather than delaying the ordinance. The committee recorded unanimous 3‑0 votes in favor of both the amendment and forwarding the item.

Next steps: The amended ordinance will be scheduled for consideration by the full Board of Supervisors; the committee directed that the reporting requirement be reflected in the grant agreement and annual oversight to the Board.