november 2022 VOTER GUIDE

NO ON PROP C

Homelessness Oversight Commission

Proposition C would create the Homelessness Oversight Commission to oversee the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (DHSH). We will again reiterate our belief that commissions do not lead to sufficient oversight. If that were true, every City department would be incredibly well-run and efficient, as there are over 100 commissions, citizen advisory committees, and other governing bodies in San Francisco. Too often, commissions are used to appease politically connected individuals who want to add to their résumés. While we are horrified by the state of homelessness in our city, we cannot support the addition of a new government body and its associated red tape to provide the oversight that the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors are responsible for. That’s why we’re voting no on C.

The Context

One of the biggest funds allocated for homelessness comes from 2018’s Prop C, which taxed tech companies to solve homelessness. That money is overseen by the Our City, Our Home Committee. The committee is not currently effective at improving conditions for the city’s homeless population—just take a scroll through what the Chronicle’s investigative reporting uncovered on SRO conditions.

Adding a Commission will not solve the problem of Our City, Our Home’s inefficacy. In fact, following the reporting on SRO conditions, the DHSH pursued $24.5 million in funding to address SRO conditions. This request was denied by the Our City, Our Home Committee, citing that they did not want funding to be spent on existing programs, just new ones.

The Money

Since 2018, the City has made more than $1 billion in payments to nonprofits operating in the homelessness sector.

Additional Details

How would this commission come together, if Prop C were to pass? It would have seven members, four appointed by the Mayor and three appointed by the Board of Supervisors. The mayor’s picks must be approved by the Board of Supervisors, and also have special requirements. For example, one appointee should have experienced homelessness, and another should have experience with small businesses and neighborhood advocacy.

The commission would oversee DHSH and would be able to formulate, evaluate, and approve goals, objectives, plans and programs. They would also be able to approve departmental budgets and approve or reject most contracts relating to homelessness and supportive housing contracts before sending them to the BoS for final approval.

Support & Opposition

This charter amendment was primarily sponsored by Supervisor Ahsha Safaí. Five other Supervisors co-sponsored the measure: Shamann Walton, Aaron Peskin, Rafael Mandelman, Gordon Mar, and Catherine Stefani. It’s an interesting reversal by Safaí, who was one of seven supervisors to vote against creating a commission for DHSH in 2019.

In 2019, a similar measure was proposed by former Supervisor Matt Haney but was strongly opposed by Mayor London Breed, who said that commissions were not equivalent to more efficient government.

Paid for by TogetherSF Action. Not authorized by any candidate or a committee controlled by a candidate. Financial disclosures are available at sfethics.org.

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