Statement: Prioritize Municipal Affairs

Statement by Supervisor Joel Engardio

Prioritize Municipal Affairs

We have a lot to fix in San Francisco. Residents are concerned about public safety, homelessness, the drug overdose crisis, housing affordability, and the survival of small businesses — in addition to fixing our downtown.

City supervisors are responsible for working with the mayor to find solutions. That’s why I introduced a resolution for the Board of Supervisors to prioritize local issues and municipal affairs.

My goal with the resolution was to bring the board together and commit to focusing on the basic work we were elected to do. The people of San Francisco are not happy with how the Board of Supervisors spends its time. Polls consistently show that up to 70 percent of San Franciscans do not approve of our job performance. 

As elected leaders, we need to come together. We need residents to know “we hear you” and we are committed to working on the local issues we can actually do something about.

The resolution asks us to be mindful of the committee time and resources we spend on things beyond our control when we have so many pressing local issues to address.

This is a forward-looking resolution. It doesn’t re-litigate any of our past decisions. For example, I voted for a Gaza ceasefire resolution in January and my vote shows my support for that international issue which was before the board. Under my municipal affairs resolution, members of the Board of Supervisors may still opine on matters outside our jurisdiction. Going forward, my resolution asks us to do so while prioritizing the local problems residents want fixed.

My resolution acknowledges that every San Francisco resident has the right to speak on any topic during public comment at full board meetings that hasn’t already been discussed in committee.

Every member of the Board of Supervisors has the right to take a position on any issue local or non-local. We can issue statements, write OpEds, and attend rallies. 

San Francisco residents can petition their state and federal representatives on non-municipal issues to enact policies those lawmakers have control over. And residents should know that when the Board of Supervisors passes a resolution on an issue beyond our jurisdiction, it is non-binding.

We can still pass resolutions on non-contentious and non-municipal matters like natural disaster aid to a sister city or a value statement on human rights. These resolutions can still be adopted without committee reference and without taking resources away from municipal matters. My resolution simply asks city supervisors to avoid spending too much of our committee time debating a contentious issue that’s outside our city borders and jurisdiction.

There are plenty of contentious municipal issues that divide the residents of San Francisco and the Board of Supervisors. Yet working to solve those tough municipal problems is our primary job description. Debate over municipal issues is time well spent because we have the power to provide actionable solutions. 

I wanted my resolution to bring the board together and acknowledge our core purpose. We have a city to run. We need to stay focused on the local issues we can influence.

In the spirit of bringing the board together, I worked collaboratively on the resolution. I spoke to every board member in person about it. I drafted the language with President Aaron Peskin and worked with Supervisors Dean Preston and Shamann Walton on amendments. I introduced it with cosponsors who are not on the same side of many issues. The resolution passed with a 10-1 vote. 

I believe we must commit to prioritizing what residents care most about — public safety, housing, transportation, and our local economy. The Board of Supervisors must show residents we are going to do everything we can to address and solve the problems within our city.

We need to work together and build consensus among our neighbors on local issues. That is how we will create our best San Francisco.