Currently there is no advisory body that advises the Board of Supervisors (Board) or the Mayor on issues relating to graffiti prevention and abatement.

The proposed ordinance would establish the Graffiti Advisory Board (Advisory Board) which would be responsible for advising the Board and the Mayor on issues relating to graffiti prevention and abatement. The Advisory Board would consist of 15 members, 11 of whom would be appointed by individual Members of the Board of Supervisors, and the remaining four seats would be held by the Mayor, Director of Public Works, Chief of Police, and the Director of Cultural Affairs or their designees.

The Advisory Board is tasked with submitting annual reports on the impacts of graffiti, reviewing and evaluating current services and programs, and recommending strategies for consolidating anti-graffiti efforts. It is designed to help coordinate and make more efficient the graffiti prevention and abatement services in San Francisco.

The City previously established the Graffiti Advisory Board in 1993, which consisted of 25 members and advised on graffiti-related problems. However, the legislation sunset in March 2022, leaving San Francisco without such an advisory body for about 18 months. Thus, the rationale behind the current ordinance is to reestablish the advisory board and continue the dedicated efforts against graffiti.

The ordinance will become effective 30 days after enactment, which occurs when either the Mayor signs the ordinance, returns it unsigned, or does not sign it within ten days, or when the Board of Supervisors overrides a mayoral veto.

Members of the Advisory Board will serve at the pleasure of their appointing authority and can be removed at any time by the appointing authority. Members from Seats 1-11 who miss three regular meetings within a six-month period without approval shall be deemed to have resigned, with the Advisory Board informing the Board of Supervisors of any such resignation