California’s Proposition 10 passed in 1998. Proposition 10 created a tax of fifty cents on every tobacco product sold. It created the Children and Families Commission. The Commission is also known as First 5 San Francisco.

Nearly $500 million in annual revenue comes from the tobacco tax. Each county gets money for local programs. Counties are funded based on their birth rate. San Francisco gets about $6 million each year.

In 2022, First 5 San Francisco merged with the Office of Early Care and Education. They formed the Department of Early Childhood. The Children and Families Commission still oversees the City’s Proposition 10 funds.

Four seats on the Commission are for City agencies:

• Director of Public Health, or designee
• General Manager of the Human Services Agency, or designee
• Member of the Board of Supervisors
• Director of the Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, or designee

Five seats are appointed by San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors. They have four-year terms. They represent these community constituencies:

• County services for children, public health, behavioral health, or social work. Or, tobacco and substance abuse prevention and treatment
• Recipients of services provided by the County Strategic Plan
• Educators specializing in early childhood development
• Local childcare resources or referral agencies. Or, the Childcare Planning and Advisory Council
• Local organizations for prevention or early intervention for families at risk
• Community-based organizations for early childhood development
• San Francisco Unified School District
• Local medical, pediatric, or obstetric associations

There are two committees in the Children and Families commission. The Program Committee reviews the performance of our programs. It considers new initiatives. The Fiscal Committee oversees financial matters. It does financial planning and makes our annual budget. It also monitors expenses.