A San Francisco supervisor wants to hold a hearing on why families with children appear to be fleeing the city.
Supervisor Mark Farrell on Tuesday proposed holding a hearing to bring together several different city agencies to discuss why the number of children living in San Francisco is decreasing.
Farrell said the hearing is in response to recent media reports about the latest census figures, which showed less than 5,000 kids living in San Francisco in 2010 compared to 2000, despite the city’s total population going up over the course of the decade.
The hearing will call on representatives from the San Francisco Unified School District, the city’s Department of Children, Youth and Families, the Recreation and Park Department, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Mayor’s Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs to come and speak about the issue.
“Let’s dig in and really see what’s happening … and see what proposals we can push forward legislatively,” Farrell said.
The supervisor, who has two small children of his own, said he has many childhood friends who are among those leaving San Francisco after having kids.
“What we want to do is understand” the reasons for the family flight, Farrell said, whether it is the cost of living, the lack of open space and parks compared to other cities, or issues with the schools or other youth programs.
Farrell said the hearing would probably not be held until after the August recess when negotiations over the city’s budget are completed.
Dan McMenamin, Bay City News
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