Board approves first reading of broad code‑cleanup ordinance after amendments; debate over AI use and surveillance audit frequency

The Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance on first reading to amend dozens of administrative code sections and to remove or modify numerous reporting requirements after months of city attorney and departmental review.

President Mandelmann described the measure as a long‑running effort to “prune” obsolete or duplicative reports identified in an AI‑assisted scan of the municipal code; he said the AI only extracted references and that the substantive review was done by city attorneys and department staff. "The ordinance was not written by AI," he said, adding that the exercise produced about 140 reporting changes while leaving roughly two‑thirds of identified reports untouched.

Supervisors expressed mixed reactions. Several supported removing outdated material and reducing reporting frequency, but others raised process concerns about the speed and scale of changes and about public notice. Supervisor Jackie Fielder said she could not support a reduction that pared the controller’s annual surveillance technology audit down to once every five years, calling the annual review “crucial to honoring civil liberties.”

The president circulated targeted amendments during the meeting that restored several reporting requirements — for example, continued reporting from the Department on the Status of Women and a semiannual harassment report prepared by the Department of Human Resources — and the board adopted those changes on the floor. After roll call the ordinance passed on first reading with 7 ayes and 4 nos (Walton, Chan, Fielder and Melgar voting no).

The ordinance will return for a second reading; supporters said the city attorneys will publish an accompanying digest summarizing the changes so departments and the public can review the revisions.