The San Francisco Board of Supervisors gave final approval today to legislation to amend the city’s sanctuary policy to require undocumented youth accused of serious crimes to be referred by the city to federal immigration authorities only upon conviction.
The move sets up a showdown with Mayor Gavin Newsom, who has said the change is unenforceable because it violates federal law and has promised to veto it.
However, the board, approving Supervisor David Campos’ legislation by an 8-3 vote this afternoon, has enough votes to override a mayoral veto.
Campos today criticized recent comments by Newsom denigrating the proposed change.
The mayor “is a good person,” said Campos, “I just think he happens to be wrong on this issue.”
Newsom’s office has said if passed, the city will refuse to implement the legislation.
“The power of the mayor is not absolute,” said Campos. He said the mayor should “follow his constitutional duty” and implement the law.
In another move, the board today passed legislation that will make it easier for low-income families to receive housing subsidies from the city for an extended period of time.
The legislation, introduced by Supervisor John Avalos, will amend the city’s current program to allow families to stay in the program for up to five years. The board approved it unanimously.
Avalos said many families in San Francisco have “struggled” under the current program and are having difficulty finding jobs quickly, “especially with the economic downturn,” he said.
The board additionally approved a plan to begin accepting proposals from potential renewable energy suppliers for the city’s plan to aggressively pursue its own renewable energy portfolio, known as Clean Power SF. The legislation was passed unanimously.
