What is it?

Proposition J will ensure that the many millions of dollars the city already spends on children and youth services is spent in a coordinated way.

Currently, funds that affect children in San Francisco are managed by a complex network of city departments, including:

• SF Department of Early Childhood
• SF Department of Children, Youth, and their Families (SF DCYF)
• SF Unified School District
• SF Our Children, Our Families Council
• SF Children and Family Recovery Plan Task Force
• SF Child Care Planning and Advisory Council
• SF Human Services Agency

Prop J wil centralize that to a single entity who will conduct a single, centralized, needs assessment to remove duplicate spending and ensure all money spent on children is on programs that have been identified in the needs assessment.

Why vote Yes?

Proposition J is a solid, good governance ballot measure that will increase efficiency while improving outcomes for children.

1. Streamlines Funding Decisions to a Single Council: Currently, the city has a complex patchwork of departments that manage Children and Youth spending. There are many duplicate programs and wasted funds. Proposition J puts an end to this by creating a council that will run a single needs assessment and create a shared budget.
2. Makes funding actually accountable: The Council, in partnership with the Mayor and Board of Supervisors will have the authority to revoke funding if it is not spent as intended.
3. Doesn't add new spending, instead it increases oversight on the hundreds of millions currently spent.

The City and the School District spend a lot of money. What would it look like if they actually deployed those resources in an aligned, coherent way? Children and families would be served a lot better.

Phil HalperinCo-Founder, California Education Partners