SEC. 4.101. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS - COMPOSITION
§ 4.101
Appointive boards and commissions in San Francisco must be broadly representative of the city's communities across race, ethnicity, age, gender identity, sexual orientation, and disability status. Members must be residents and voting-age unless specifically exempted by charter or legislation, and the city officially urges appointing officers to prioritize diverse representation in nominations and appointments. The Commission on the Status of Women tracks diversity in these appointments every two years.
When San Francisco creates boards and commissions that are appointed (not elected), the people chosen must represent the city's different neighborhoods and diverse populations—including different races, ethnicities, ages, genders, sexual orientations, and people with disabilities. Members generally must be residents of San Francisco and old enough to vote. The city officially encourages all officials involved in hiring board members to actively consider women, people of color, seniors, people with disabilities, and people of different sexual orientations and gender identities. The Commission on the Status of Women checks every two years to see how diverse these boards actually are, based on what people voluntarily share about themselves.
- Complex:The section spans six subsections with overlapping concepts (requirements in (a) and (b), policy statements in (c), enforcement in (d), and procedural matters in (e)–(f)), making it harder to isolate what actually binds appointing officers versus what is aspirational.
- Controversial:The mandate for diversity representation and the city's formal urging of officers to prioritize demographic categories in appointments is a subject on which San Francisco residents hold differing views about both the appropriateness and effectiveness of such policies.
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Official text
SEC. 4.101. BOARDS AND COMMISSIONS – COMPOSITION
(a) Unless otherwise provided in this Charter, the composition of each appointive board, commission, or advisory body of any kind established by this Charter or legislative act of the United States of America, the State of California, or the Board of Supervisors shall be broadly representative of the communities of interest, neighborhoods, and the diversity of the City and County in ethnicity, race, age, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, and types of disabilities.
(b) All members of such bodies as described in subsection (a) shall be residents of the City and County and the minimum age required to vote in municipal elections in the City and County, at all times during the term of their respective offices, unless otherwise specifically provided in this Charter. Either or both of the requirements set forth in the first sentence of this subsection (b) shall not apply to boards, commissions, or advisory bodies established by legislative act if the legislation specifically exempts the position from either or both requirements, or if the appointing officer or entity makes a finding that a person meeting both requirements, and willing to serve, could not be located.
(c) It shall be the official City policy that the composition of each appointive board, commission, or advisory body of any kind established by this Charter or legislative act of the United States of America, the State of California, or the Board of Supervisors shall reflect the interests and contributions of people of all races, ethnicities, ages, sexes, gender identities, sexual orientations, and types of disabilities. The voters therefore urge in the strongest terms all City officers and agencies involved in nominating, appointing, or confirming members of those appointive boards, commissions, or advisory bodies to consider and as appropriate support the nomination, appointment, or confirmation of women, people of color, seniors, people with disabilities, and people that reflect a range of sexual orientations and gender identities to fill seats on those bodies.
(d) The Commission on the Status of Women shall conduct an analysis of appointments to appointive boards, commissions, and advisory bodies established in the Charter or by legislative act, in the second and fourth year of each mayoral term to track the diversity of appointments to such bodies. This analysis, to be based only on voluntary disclosures, shall include ethnicity, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, and any other relevant demographic qualities.
(e) Vacancies on appointive boards, commissions, or other units of government shall be filled for the balance of the unexpired term in the manner prescribed by this Charter or ordinance for initial appointments.
(f) Terms of office shall continue as they existed on the effective date of this Charter.
(Amended by Proposition D, 6/3/2008; Proposition C, Approved 11/3/2020)