‘No Strategy’: Equal Funding Questions Linger After District 11 Budget Town Hall

Board of Supervisors Budget Committee Chair Connie Chan and Board President Rafael Mandelman joined District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen for a budget town hall on Wednesday at Kapuso at the Upper Yard.

Over 35 attendees were told about San Francisco’s huge but beleaguered two-year budget, weighed down by a $876 million deficit, and looming economic headwinds from the federal government. But many in the room were leaders or employees of nonprofit organizations who expressed concern over the likelihood of continued funding for community services.

“You all are a very important voice of District 11,” Chen said. “Many of you are leading very important organizations in District 11 that provide very important fundamental cultural services in the district.”

Supervisors, working with Mayor Daniel Lurie, are in a race to close a roughly $272 million funding gap in the next 30 days.

“How that plays into this year's budget process, we don't know but we wanted to make sure that we're having a transparent and meaningful and intentional conversation with community so people know this year's process may be more difficult than previous years,” said Jackie Prager, one of Chen’s legislative aides.

Tere Almaguer, a coordinator at Hummingbird Farms, was concerned that organizations would have to fight for funding against one another.

“How can you help support us so that we don't have politicians or the mayor or anybody pitting us against each other,” Almaguer said.

Chan agreed that pitting communities against each other for funding was wrong but participating in town halls and communicating can create shared priorities. The situation is similar to the pandemic, when problems were solved by systematically investing in the community, she added.

Cooperative Restraining Order Clinic’s Norma Marquez said many of her organization’s clients come from District 11. She asked if maintaining emergency legal services, such as those offered by her clinic, is a priority. Chan said she and Chen will support continued funding.

Felisia Thibodeaux, executive director of the Southwest Community Corporation at I.T. Bookman Community Center, raised concerns about the efficacy of District 11 nonprofit organizations advocating during the budgeting process because they do not always receive funds.

“It's almost like an oxymoron,” Thibodeaux said. “Go and advocate, but no one could really choose you. I'm just trying to figure out in this budget process how all that works together.”

Chan said that it has always been the case and explained the public contract bidding process.

Youth 1st Executive Director Renard Monroe asked what was going to be done to put District 11 on the map and distribute funds equally. He emphasized that City Hall has a history of underresourcing District 11 or only funding parts of the district.

“It seems like all of the resources are last to come here [and] are last to be sustained,” Monroe said. “What we need from our officials, for people who have the opportunity and access to those rooms that we don't have access to, is to really fight for us first and not last as an afterthought.”

Chan said District 11 is well positioned for advocacy since both Chen and Ernest “EJ” Jones, a District 11 community advocate and Lurie’s director of community affairs, are inside City Hall. 

Mandelman said Chen has worked nonstop to advocate for the district.

“We have gone through the exercise now for a few years where the Board of Supervisors’ process has saved some money for the city but has not really generated the additional investment in communities that folks might hope,” Mandelman said. “It’s a new era and there's a new mayor, but I still think that that's true with the most important work is getting important priorities into the newest budget and Chyanne is working on that.”

Chen said she plans to host more town halls across the district throughout the budget process.

Whether it is a new era in which District 11 gets its fair share of funding remains to be seen.

Laura Padilla, a director with the YMCA, left the town hall with questions and wanting more.

“We left with no strategy,” Padilla said. “What’s the strategy on meeting priorities? There are a lot of means, so what’s District 11’s process to put all the listening into action and sustain and preserve what’s already working?”