Every City Department must provide members of the public with timely and transparent access to public records and information under the San Francisco Sunshine Ordinance and the California Public Records Act

For questions about DEC’s public information request policy or to make a public records request please email dec.publicrecords@sfgov.org

Government’s duty is to serve the public, reaching its decisions in full view of the public. Commissions, boards, councils, and other agencies of the City and County exist to conduct the people’s business. This ordinance assures that deliberations are conducted before the people and that City operations are open to the people’s review. For information on your rights under the Sunshine Ordinance (Chapter 67 of the San Francisco Administrative Code) or to report a violation of the ordinance, please contact: Sunshine Ordinance Task Force Administrator.

City Hall – Room 244 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102-4683
415-554-7724 (Office) | 415-554-7854 (Fax)
E-mail: SOTF@sfgov.org

Copies of the Sunshine Ordinance can be obtained from the Clerk of the Sunshine Task Force, the San Francisco Public Library and on the City’s website at www.sfgov.org. Copies of explanatory documents are available to the public online at http://www.sfbos.org/sunshine or, upon request to the Commission Secretary, at the above address or phone number.

Per the Language Access Ordinance (Chapter 91 of the San Francisco Administrative Code), Chinese, Spanish, and/or Filipino (Tagalog) interpreters will be available upon requests. Meeting Minutes may be translated, if requested, after they have been adopted by the Commission. Assistance in additional languages may be honored whenever possible. To request assistance with these services please contact the Commission Secretary Arianna Cruz-Sellu at arianna.cruz-sellu@sfgov.org at least 48 hours in advance of the hearing. Late requests will be honored if possible.

Children and Families Commission hearings and Early Childhood Community Oversight and Advisory Committee hearings are held at 1650 Mission Street, 3rd floor, San Francisco. The building and meeting room are wheelchair accessible. Remote public participation is available upon request for individuals who cannot attend in person due to disability. Making a request to participate remotely no later than one (1) hour prior to the start of the meeting helps ensure availability of the meeting link. Sign Language Interpretation is also available upon request. Captions can be enabled if participating remotely.

If requesting remote Sign Language Interpretation, please submit an accommodation request a minimum of four (4) business hours prior to the start of the meeting. Allowing a minimum of 48 business hours for all other accommodation requests (for example, for other auxiliary aids and services) helps ensure availability. To request accommodation, please contact arianna.cruz-sellu@sfgov.org.

Individuals and entities that influence or attempt to influence local legislative or administrative action may be required by the San Francisco Lobbyist Ordinance [SF Campaign & Governmental Conduct Code 2.100] to register and report lobbying activity. For more information about the Lobbyist Ordinance, please contact the San Francisco Ethics Commission at 25 Van Ness Avenue, Suite 220, San Francisco, CA 94102, (415) 252-3100, FAX (415) 252-3112, website: sfgov.org/ethics

California’s Proposition 10 passed in 1998. Proposition 10 created a tax of fifty cents on every tobacco product sold. It created the Children and Families Commission. The Commission is also known as First 5 San Francisco.

Nearly $500 million in annual revenue comes from the tobacco tax. Each county gets money for local programs. Counties are funded based on their birth rate. San Francisco gets about $6 million each year.

In 2022, First 5 San Francisco merged with the Office of Early Care and Education. They formed the Department of Early Childhood. The Children and Families Commission still oversees the City’s Proposition 10 funds.

Four seats on the Commission are for City agencies:

• Director of Public Health, or designee
• General Manager of the Human Services Agency, or designee
• Member of the Board of Supervisors
• Director of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, or designee

Five seats are appointed by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. They have four-year terms. They represent these community constituencies:

• County services for children, public health, behavioral health, or social work. Or, tobacco and substance abuse prevention and treatment
• Recipients of services provided by the County Strategic Plan
• Educators specializing in early childhood development
• Local childcare resources or referral agencies. Or, the Childcare Planning and Advisory Council
• Local organizations for prevention or early intervention for families at risk
• Community-based organizations for early childhood development
• San Francisco Unified School District
• Local medical, pediatric, or obstetric associations

There are two committees in the Children and Families commission. The Program Committee reviews the performance of our programs. It considers new initiatives. The Fiscal Committee oversees financial matters. It does financial planning and makes our annual budget. It also monitors expenses.