Safeguarding Our Future

At the end of June, as Chair of the Board’s Budget and Appropriations Committee, we led the unanimous passage of the Fiscal Year 2026-2027 and 2027-2028 San Francisco budget, restoring more than $28 million in cuts to vital services, restoration of jobs and safeguarding more than $1.3 billion in reserve funds to protect against anticipated further cuts from President Donald Trump’s Administration.

Throughout the past four fiscal years, my work as Chair of the Budget Committee has been centered on reducing wasteful spending, creating guardrails against corruption, saving for the future by putting reasonable dollars on reserve, reversing cuts affecting the most vulnerable San Franciscans and saving essential city jobs and services. We have been successful with this work.

This year, in collaboration with Mayor Daniel Lurie and his team, we:

Invested $8 million annually to replace the San Francisco Fire Department’s fire trucks, all of which are more than 10 years old, with some up to 50 years old.

Funded new, PFAS-free uniforms for every firefighter by July of 2026, replacing all uniforms containing cancer-causing chemicals.

Guarded against raiding more than $1.3 billion in reserves.

Ensured full funding for immigration legal defense and immigrant resources

In collaboration with the Budget Committee, we restored $28 million in investments for:

Vital services to support seniors

Employment opportunities for youth

Critical programming and services for our LGBTQIA, transgender, Latinx and BIPOC communities.

Fully funded Free City College

Vital funding for HIV prevention and care

Reversing layoffs for workers that provide services at the 311 Call Center, Laguna Honda Hospital, and childcare facilities under the Human Services Agency.

This budget shows that we can, and should, move forward a spending plan that prioritizes support for our most vulnerable communities while safeguarding for our future. I am proud of the work we have accomplished together and honored to have served San Francisco in this capacity.

I was first appointed Budget Chair in 2023 and have since presided over four budget cycles, under both Mayor London Breed and Mayor Lurie, two Board Presidents and 18 different members of the Board of Supervisors. We have faced unprecedented fiscal deficits, worked through COVID-19 pandemic recovery and faced down the Trump Administration’s cuts to safety net services. Under my leadership as Chair, the Board restored more than $200 million in cuts to vital services and support for the community. And to combat Anti-Asian hate, I fought to secure $30 million for the API Equity fund to make permanent safe spaces for community services.

Additionally in 2025, I brokered a deal to protect essential city services, restoring more than 500 layoffs to City workers. With the passage of HR1 and in the face of Trump’s devastating cuts to healthcare and food security, I created a $400 million reserve fund that will help protect San Francisco so that we can restore critical services and weather additional attacks from the federal government.

It has been my honor serving the city as its Budget Committee Chair. While we are still facing tough challenges ahead, the work we have done has moved San Francisco in a positive trajectory. This will be my last year shepherding the City’s budget as Chair, as I plan to step down in August 2026, but I will ensure we continue on this positive trajectory, and urge everyone to remain vigilant in guarding the City’s fiscal health.

Connie Chan represents District 1 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. She can be reached at 415-554-7410 or chanstaff@sfgov.org.