Newsom Supportive – But Non-Committal – of Youth Commission’s Priorities

But while the Mayor's response was positive, he was also noncommittal and there are no guarantees that these requests will be met.

The Youth Commission is a City body comprised of 17 youth between the ages of 13 and 23 – who advise the Mayor, the Board of Supervisors, and the City departments on any issue which pertains to the lives of their peers.

The Commission’s budget recommendations cover a wide array of issues – including youth workforce development, violence prevention, transportation, physical and mental health services, social services, parks and recreation, and civic engagement.

The Mayor walked into the Commission meeting 45 minutes late, sat down at the table, and joked: “You’re late—all of you!” Newsom later explained that he was late due to a visit to the new 311 information center, which he then touted for several minutes.

As the Commissioners spelled out their proposals, Newsom remained generally quiet, nodding along when a particular item intrigued him.

After the presentation, Newsom spoke positively on issues to better support health centers in public schools, supporting transitional youth, and expanding (and for the first time funding) citywide civic engagement programs for high school students. He also took the opportunity to note other successes the city has seen in youth services, including the first increase in kindergarten enrollment in years and the soon-to-be-released recommendations from the City’s Transitional Youth Task Force.

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