By NICHOLAS KUSNETZ
Mission-based nonprofits had been emailing about it for weeks, and it finally came: the Budget and Finance Committee held a hearing Wednesday on the impacts of cuts to funding for youth and family programs. Apparently all those emails worked, because a couple hundred people showed up, forcing the supes to open up a spillover room for those who didn’t fit in the chamber.
In fact, once it became clear how many people wanted to speak, Vice-Chair Ross Mirkarimi decided to switch things up a bit and let public comment come first, letting some city officials from related departments leave. But not so fast, Campos said.
“I think it’s really important that we hear from the department heads as quickly as possible,” he said. “As you can tell from the testimony, these are programs that have a very direct impact on families and I think that as quick as we can get a resolution, the better.”
Some left, but to her credit, Maria Su, acting director of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, took a seat and stayed through the three-plus hours of public comments that ensued. But she didn’t get a chance to talk. Testimony from department heads was postponed.
At issue are cuts to the Children’s Fund and the Children’s Baseline, which set aside a certain amount of cash for youth and family programs. A lot of the money ends up coming back to the Mission through groups like Mission Neighborhood Centers, so it’s no surprise that Campos was a big supporter of the folks in the crowd.
The supes mostly let the public do the talking, and the talking, and the talking (now there’s a change). But they interjected from time to time to make a point. When a juvenile officer from SFPD came to support an internship program, Campos seized the moment.
“I have repeatedly said throughout this budget process that when we talk about safety that it’s not enough to focus on the law enforcement piece,” he said, adding that community-based programs are key. “Without those programs you could in fact see an increase in violence.”
Heck yeah, the officer concurred. Campos said he’s holding a hearing on this very matter on Monday in his Public Safety Committee.
There was even a little humor when one high school senior wondered aloud: Where art thou Gavin Newsom? Might thou be running for governor?
“If he can’t save the city, this small city,” she said, “he shouldn’t save the state.”
“Ooh,” Mirkarimi said, to a hearty Campos laugh. “Intrigue.”
Well, hours later, the almost-neverending line that seemed to defy physics by maintaining its length throughout the meeting finally ended. A pause. And then.
“This is unbelievable. I think this might exhaust the speakers list,” Mirkarimi said. “Wow. Should we do it again? No, I’m kidding.”
And that was that. Wait, you may be wondering, this is supposed to be about Campos’ week, not the boring budget meeting. I know, I know. But believe it or not, this may have been the most exciting meeting this week (and exciting it was). They did postpone a decision on a massive solar project at the full board on Tuesday.
And outside city hall, Campos came to the district Friday morning to meet with community-based organizations from the Mission at the Good Samaritan Family Resource Center.
