Rules Committee Advances DV Fund Overhaul, Picks New Behavioral Health Commissioners

San Francisco's Rules Committee cleared a domestic violence shelter funding ordinance that had stalled for months over LGBTQ funding concerns, then waded through a competitive ten-applicant field to fill two seats on the Behavioral Health Commission. All three substantive items passed unanimously at the June 15 meeting.

• DV shelter fund ordinance advances after stakeholder compromise preserves LGBTQ-specific funding outside city code, triples codified marriage-license fee to $23

• Two new Behavioral Health Commissioners chosen from 10 applicants — healthcare researcher Raymond Deng shared a personal story of his brother's opioid recovery

• Nightlife industry leader Maria Davis reappointed to Entertainment Commission, citing overdose prevention and anti-drink-spiking work in LGBTQ venues

DV Fund Code Catch-Up: Marriage-License Fees, Agency Transfer Finally Formalized

The basics: File 250720 amends the Administrative Code governing the Domestic Violence Shelter-Based Program Fund. The ordinance does three things: transfers oversight of the fund from the Department on the Status of Women to the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development (MOCD), updates the marriage-license fee earmark from $8 to $23 to match a 2023 state law change, and renames the fund. MOCD has already been managing these grants since completing a procurement process in 2025 — the code simply hadn't caught up.

Why it matters: The ordinance closes a two-year gap between how the city actually operates and what its administrative code says. It also nearly triples the codified per-license fee flowing to DV shelters, aligning San Francisco with state requirements that took effect in 2023.

Where things stand: The item was first heard in October 2025 but was continued after the Domestic Violence Consortium raised concerns that the ordinance would eliminate the Same-Sex Domestic Violence Project Fund. Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who authored the legislation, told the committee that months of stakeholder discussions produced a compromise: the amended ordinance no longer touches the domestic partnership fee fund.

"Following those discussions with stakeholders, I think we've come to consensus that the most appropriate approach is for the consortium to develop its own internal framework for allocating funds to LGBTQ organizations rather than codifying specific requirements in the administrative code," said Mandelman.

Beverly Upton, Executive Director of the San Francisco Domestic Violence Consortium, praised the resolution but signaled the work isn't finished.

"I will still say that we do hope for opportunities to refine this legislation in the future as the political atmosphere may change," she said, adding that "San Francisco continues its strong and historic commitment to ending domestic violence, sexual assault, gender-based violence in the LGBTQ community."

Pablo Espinoza, Co-executive Director of Community United Against Violence (CUAV), underscored the stakes for LGBTQ survivors, noting the organization's 47-year history serving that community.

"We just really want to thank all of you for continuing to have intimate partner violence and domestic violence that affects LGBTQ people at the forefront of the work," Espinoza said.

Decisions: The committee voted 3-0 to amend the ordinance and forward it to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation (For: Wong, Mandelman, Walton; Against: none; Absent: Sherrill).

What's next: The amended ordinance heads to the full Board for final approval.

Ten Vie for Two Behavioral Health Seats; Researcher With Opioid Crisis Ties Wins Nod

Why it matters: The Behavioral Health Commission advises on San Francisco's mental health and substance-use services — programs at the center of the city's ongoing fentanyl and homelessness crises. Ten applicants competed for just two seats, the largest field the committee discussed at this meeting.

Where things stand: Several applicants presented in person. Gabriel Cervantes Okamoto, a military veteran and state Senate consultant, drew on deeply personal experience.

"I live with military-related PTSD and I'm a survivor of intimate partner violence. Through behavioral health services, I learned tools and strategies that have allowed me to continue daily life being productive in helping the public," he said.

Lisa Williams, a former commissioner with more than 25 years of mental health community experience, emphasized growing youth and senior mental health needs and community outreach.

Raymond Deng, a healthcare services researcher with a master's in public health from Harvard who has studied addiction programs at the VA, delivered the meeting's most personal testimony. He described his brother's two-decade struggle with opioid addiction and recovery in San Francisco.

"Although our journey has been long, it has given me the intimate knowledge of the depth and breadth of resources it takes to build a life back — that crucial but patchwork network of social and mental health services across the city," Deng said.

He pledged to bring a data-driven approach:

"I will bring to the seat a healthcare services researcher's eye for measuring efficacy and the pragmatism of someone whose life has been greatly impacted by the tragedy of the opiate crisis."

Athena Bin Ying Ng, who was unable to attend, communicated continued interest in Seat 2.

Chair Shamann Walton acknowledged the difficulty of the selection.

"This is always the toughest part of our job — selecting from a list of qualified applicants who want to serve the city, knowing that we only have two seats available," he said.

Decisions: Walton moved to appoint Ng (Seat 2, term ending Jan. 1, 2027) and Deng (Seat 7, term ending Jan. 1, 2028). The motion passed 3-0 (For: Wong, Mandelman, Walton; Against: none; Absent: Sherrill, excused). Both names now go to the full Board.

Minor Items

• Entertainment Commission reappointment: Maria Davis, co-owner of The Stud and owner of St. Mary's Pub, was forwarded 3-0 for reappointment to Entertainment Commission Seat 2, with a term ending July 1, 2030. Davis cited her involvement in overdose prevention in LGBTQ spaces and the "Don't Get Roofied" campaign.