BOS Board of Supervisors - Regular Meeting - Mar 10, 2026

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San Francisco Board of Supervisors 2h 49m 5 speakers 7 agenda items transcribed 2 months ago official recording ↗

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Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.

Who is present and what is the Board’s opening protocol?

Rafael Mandelman 0:09

Good afternoon. Welcome to the March 10th, 2026 regular meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Thank you, Mr. President. Supervisor Chan. Chan present, Supervisor Chen. Chen present, Supervisor Dorsey. Dorsey present, Supervisor Fielder. Fielder present, Supervisor Mahmoud. Mahmoud present, Supervisor Mandelman. Mandelman present, Supervisor Melgar. Melgar present, Supervisor Sauter. Sauter present, Supervisor Sherrill. Cheryl present. Supervisor Walton? Present. Walton present. And Supervisor Wong? Present. Wong present. Mr. President, all members are present. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramaytushaloni, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula.

Rafael Mandelman 1:03

As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramaytushaloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatishaloni community and by affirming their sovereign rights as First Peoples. Colleagues, will you join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance?

Rafael Mandelman 1:41

to the republic for which it stands, one nation, under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. On behalf of our board, I'd like to acknowledge the staff at SFGov TV. Today, that is especially Sue's Enos. They record each of our meetings and make the transcripts available to the public online. Madam Clerk, why don't we go to our 2 p.m. special order, the mayor's appearance. Yes, the special order at 2 p.m. is the appearance by the Honorable Mayor Daniel Lurie. There being no questions submitted from eligible members representing districts five through eight, the mayor may address the board for up to five minutes. Welcome, Mr. Mayor. Thank you, Board President. Good afternoon, everyone, members of the board.

Rafael Mandelman 2:35

You all know that our city charter is one of the longest in the country. It's bloated and it's broken. That's why President Mandelman and I are proposing reforms to clean up our charter and make our city's government more accountable to the residents we serve. First, we are going to fix the city's broken contracting system to make sure that our tax dollars are spent efficiently and transparently. Right now, city contracting is too expensive, too slow, and too political. Not only do different departments have different rules, but more than a dozen departments can be involved in approving just one contract. This slows down projects and drives up costs, and we all know we can do better. By bringing contracting under the city administrator, we can set consistent citywide standards that will cut red tape, reduce delays, and save taxpayer dollars.

Rafael Mandelman 3:36

Second, we are going to make our ballots shorter and simpler. In 2024, our San Franciscans considered 15 ballot measures. In the same election, Oakland had three, San Jose had one. Our proposed changes will allow a majority of the Board of Supervisors to put a measure on the ballot and bring us closer to state and other Bay Area city standards on signature requirements. And it would eliminate the mayor's ability to unilaterally place a measure on the ballot. These reforms will move us in the right direction and ensure that ballot measures reflect citywide priorities. Third, accountability. San Franciscans expect our city to deliver world-class services. But right now, our charter rewards bureaucracy and scatters responsibility.

Rafael Mandelman 4:35

These reforms would change that to ensure that when San Franciscans elect a mayor, they know who is responsible for delivering results. They would allow the mayor to hire and remove department heads, while ensuring that unelected commissioners are accountable to the leaders who appoint them. They would also create flexibility to reorganize departments when government isn't working as it should.