After the Board of Supervisors narrowly approved reformed Healthy SF legislation yesterday, the Mayor quickly signed off on the bill that will solved the so-called "January 1 Problem". The reform measure popped up a few months back when it was discovered that many of the employers offering benefits under the program were reclaiming unused funds at the end of the year.
Under the new legislation, two years worth of funds (roughly $8,500) gathered from those Healthy SF surcharges on your restaurant tabs will be held per employee. In addition to his signature on the bill, Mayor Lee is also ordering city departments to educate local workers about the program — addressing a common complaint heard during several public hearings on the reform: that most employees weren't completely sure of how the program worked.
The Board vote on the measure was split 6-5, with Supes Campos, Avalos, Kim, Mar and Mirkarimi voting against it. Supervisor Campos had originally offered different legislation back in July that would have required businesses to set aside a year's worth of funds for the next year, which the Chamber of Commerce wasn't too keen on. Campos claims the Mayor's legislation "doesn't go far enough", so don't be surprised if the issue comes up on the next ballot.
