Board Passes Two-Year Budget, Bans Unsafe Batteries, Honors Departing Icons

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors moved swiftly through a packed legislative agenda Tuesday, unanimously approving a two-year interim budget, enacting a citywide ban on uncertified lithium-ion batteries, and renewing a controversial waiver letting homeless services officials solicit private donations. But the meeting's emotional center was a 90-minute stretch of commendations — including farewells to two women who together represent nearly seven decades of public service at the intersection of planning and criminal justice.

• Two-year interim budget and salary ordinances pass 10-0, keeping all city departments funded and staffed through fiscal year 2027-2028

• Uncertified lithium-ion batteries banned under an updated fire code with new enforcement tools for the fire department and city attorney

• Retiring Public Defender Patty Lee honored for 49 years of service, warns supervisors: "Please don't defund pretrial diversion"

• Planning Commissioner Kathrin Moore commended after 20 years, says the housing crisis is "just as serious as it was 20 years ago"

• Supervisor Wong introduces resolution opposing federal veterans benefit cuts, calls disability compensation "an earned benefit, not a handout"

• Supervisor Chan commemorates the Coors Boycott, marking the historic labor-LGBTQ alliance that forced corporate non-discrimination policies

Why it matters: Patty Lee's retirement from the San Francisco Public Defender's Office marks the departure of one of the most influential juvenile justice reformers in the country — someone who helped reduce the number of youth locked up in San Francisco from 130 to roughly 30 over the course of her career.