Category: Land Use

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URGENT — OPPOSE SB 7

This is an URGENT call to action. SB 7 is a terrible bill, and it needs to be opposed before it’s next heard on 6/26. Letters and calls should be in ASAP. Today if possible.

What is the Problem with SB 7?
This is a housing bill that makes HCD stronger and RHNA worse. SB7 takes recommendations from a 176 page report — “California’s Housing Future 2040: The Next Regional Housing Needs Allocation (RHNA)” — sent to legislators just two months ago, and hastily tries to get them passed into law in the next few weeks.

Through a sneaky process called “gut and amend,” new language has been put into SB 7 — which already passed the Senate in another form — and is now working its way through the Assembly.

No underlying problems of 6th cycle RHNA are addressed. This bill relies on unsubstantiated claims about the state’s housing crisis to justify usurping local control.

The 6th cycle RHNA is not even mid-way through, and all cities are failing its metrics. The solid reasons why are heavily documented — to the point that a housing element audit was recently authorized to examine the process.

The HCD is doing an end run around the audit and any flaws it might uncover; the new language of SB 7 bolsters their powers for 7th cycle RHNA, and they want it done now.

WHAT HCD GETS WITH SB 7:

  • An increase in authority, zero oversight, no transparency
  • Heavier hand against cities, bolstered by new punitive legislation
  • Further control over local zoning control
  • Eliminates the right to appeal RHNA mandates
  • Allows unchecked lobbyist influence
  • Continue to disregard infrastructure costs and other impacts to cities
  • Continue to disregard actual data, including population projections that show California’s numbers flat through 2060
  • Inclusion of open space in their calculation for how much new development a jurisdiction can absorb
  • No requirement to base policy on robust economic theory
  • No requirement to base RHNA mandates on legitimate population projections
  • RHNA allocations will continue to increase market rate housing
  • RHNA will require — but not advance — affordability.
  • Unelected bureaucrats will continue creating policy with no accountability

THIS IS HAPPENING FAST:
SB7 is being rushed through without due diligence.
This “gut and amend” bill bypassed normal deadlines, and showed up at the last minute. In the Senate it was an innocuous bill about group housing.

June 10th: Amended in Assembly
June 18th: Passed Assembly Housing and Community Development Committee
June 26th: Up for a vote in the Local Government committee

your message can be this simple: I OPPOSE SB 7.
Contact for direct representatives are below, they also need to hear from us.

First Last Email Phone
Chair, D Juan Carrillo juan.carrillo (916) 319-2039
V-Chair, R Marie Waldron marie.waldron (916) 319-2075
R Bill Essayli bill.essayli (916) 319-2063
D Matt Haney matt.haney (916) 319-2017
D Ash Kalra ash.kalra (916) 319-2025
D Blanca Pacheco blanca.pacheco (916) 319-2064
D James Ramos james.ramos (916) 319-2045
D Chris Ward assemblymember.Ward (916) 319-2078
D Lori Wilson lori.wilson (916) 319-2011
Chief Cons. Angela Mapp angela.mapp (916) 319-3958

SB 7 Verville sample letter

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Confederacy of NIMBYS cheer Peskin, criticize Melgar on housing

By KELLY WALDRON : missionlocal – excerpt

As dozens of slides on the evils of new housing construction flashed on the screen, the 100 or so residents gathered Wednesday night at the Scottish Rite Masonic Center agreed on one thing: Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin best represented their views, while the local district supervisor Myrna Melgar did not.
Peskin, who is running for mayor and spoke for around 10 minutes, often skeptical of new market-rate housing, was a clear winner for the crowd. District 7 Supervisor Melgar, who represents the area in which the meeting was held and is running for re-election there, attended but did not speak. She was not a fan favorite — and she made it clear the feeling was mutual.
“These are not my people,” said Melgar about the event put on by Neighborhoods United, a coalition of over 50 neighborhood associations across the city…(more)  
 
Melgar was invited to speak but just sat in the audience and said nothing. One of her opponents, Stephen Martin-Pinto was in attendance and gathered a lot of support last night. There were a lot of people from D-4., D-7, and D-11 that I recognized.

RELATED:

An Open Letter to Mission Local reporter Kelly Waldron

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New Planning Commissioners

Gilbert Williams nominated by President Peskin
Gilbert Williams dedicated PODER member for over a decade has spent the entire pandemic learning about Land Use through his participation in the Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition’s “All Planning to the People” series. Always wanting to learn more by asking questions, and supporting his fellow community members leadership development, his leadership presented an opportunity to have a seat at the decision making table. After months of careful consideration, weeks of sleepless nights navigating the application process to join the Planning Commission. It was a whirlwind finale that started with the Rules Committee on Monday March 11th, Full Board vote Tuesday March 12th,  Sworn in Wednesday March 13th, and first day as Planning Commissioner on Thursday March 14th… (more)

Lydia So nominated by Mayor Breed
Mayor London N. Breed announced the nomination of Lydia So to the San Francisco Planning Commission. In June 2023, Mayor Breed appointed So to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) Board of Directors, where she has worked to advance the equity, safety, and efficiency of Muni for San Francisco residents and visitors… more)

The Current member of the SF Planning Commission are
Sue Diamond, President; Kathrin Moore, Vice-President;
Derek Braun, Theresa Imperial, Joel Koppel, Lydia So, Gilbert Williams

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The San Francisco Influence List: People who are directing the city’s future

By Chronicle staff : sfchronicle – excerpt

San Francisco is changing. These are people whose decisions will shape that change — for better or worse. You might not know them all. But you should.

Since the pandemic, San Francisco has been thrust into the global spotlight for its myriad problems: homelessness, the fentanyl epidemic, the affordability crisis and the potential for an economic “doom loop.” These challenges have forced a place known for historic cataclysms and rebirths into one of its most difficult transformations.

The election in November comes at a critical time: Residents are eager for solutions, and the decisions being made have the potential to dramatically alter what it’s like to live in San Francisco. It’s important that you, our readers, understand how things grow from idea to reality, so we are identifying the people directing that process. You might or might not like what they’re doing, but you should know who they are.

Enter the San Francisco Chronicle’s first Influence List…

Kanishka Cheng : Founder and CEO of Together SF Action
Jennifer Friedenbach : Executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness
Rudy Corpuz : Executive director of United Playaz
Sean Elsbernd : Mayor London Breed’s chief of staff
Chris Larson : Chairman and Co-founder of Ripple
Sheryl Davis : Executive Director of the San Francisco Human Rights Commission
Phil Ginsberg : General manager of the SF Rec and Park Department
John Elberling : President of TODCO
Laura Crescimano : Principal of SITELAB Studio
Enrique Landa : Managing Partner of Associate Capital
Rudy Gonzalez : Secretary-treasurer of the San Francisco Building and Construction Trades Council
Larry Baer : President and Chief Exceutive of hte SF Giants
Malcolm Yeung : Executive director of Chinatown Community Development Center
Lena Millier : Founder dn CEO of Urban Alchemy
Joe Derisi : President of Chan Zuckerberg Biohub San Francisco
Mira Murati : Chief Technology Officer of OpenAI
Greg Perloff : Co-founder of Another Planet Enertertainment
Pim Techamuanvivit : Chef-owner of Kin Khao and Nari
Brandon Jew : Chef-owner of Mr. Jiu’s
D’arcy Drollinger : San Francisco drag laureate

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How earthquake preparation has changed since 1906

By Rob Nesbit : kron4 – excerpt

SAN FRANCISCO (KRON) — Thursday marked the anniversary of the 1906 earthquake and fire that devastated San Francisco, killing 3,000 people. It’s been more than a century since then and a lot of lessons have been learned when it comes to being prepared for a quake.

Before 1906, building codes were lax because of profits. For instance, wood was used more to save money. That doesn’t happen today, but there’s still concerns for safety.

Building codes have been updated, but when Dave Osgood from the Coalition For San Francisco Neighborhoods researched data on 180 of the city’s tallest buildings he found concerns.

“There are 43 tall buildings with the same kind of foundation that the Millennium Tower had before it started leaning and had to be propped up,” Osgood said.

The number one priority in cases like this is safety.

Emily Guglielmo, president of the Structural Engineers Assoc. of California, says that modern buildings codes do a good job of saving lives in the event of an earthquake. But she also said there’s room for improvement when it comes to making sure buildings are usable after shaking.

…. (more)

Last time we worked on seismic upgrades for our building, we were told that the upgrade that brought us up to code for a public space, is only guaranteed to save lives. Not guaranteed to be safe after a big earthquake.

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Four Anti-California Coastal Commission Bills Hit Sacramento.

These four bills — all by Democrats — take different tacks:
Actions may take if you oppose them

•   SB951 By San  Francisco Senator Scott Wiener
Puts further restrictions on what kinds of projects can be appealed directly to the Commission. In it’s current version. https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb951?slug=CA_202320240SB951
An earlier version of that bill would have cut a chunk of San Francisco out of the Coastal Zone entire, but that proposal was amended. https://www.sfchronicle.com/bayarea/article/coast-housing-wiener-18624806.php Together they show that many pro-housing legislators have taken heart from last year’s battle for the coast.

•   AB2560 by San Diego Assemblymember David Alvarez.
Exempts from the Coastal Act apartment projects that make use of density bonus law – a policy that lets developers build taller, higher and with fewer restrictions if they set aside units for lower income residents. https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240ab2560?slug=CA_202320240AB2560

•   SB1077 Encinitas Senator Catherine Blakespear
Makes the same exception for accessory dwelling units ( ADUs) https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb1077?slug=CA_202320240SB1077,

•   SB1092 by Encinitas Senator Catherine Blakespear
Forces the Commission to process appeals of locally-approved apartment buildings faster.  https://digitaldemocracy.calmatters.org/bills/ca_202320240sb1092?slug=CA_202320240SB1092

RELATED:
Fresh batch of YIMBY housing bills clash with coastal protections (again)

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Sunset/Parkside District 4 Town Hall – Up-zoning Plans

Find out what you can do if you object to this plan.

Example of the up-zoning planned for commercial corridors in the Sunset and  Richmond including 19th Avenue, Sunset, Lincoln, Judah, Lawton, Noriega, Taraval, Vicente, and Sloat.

Thursday, April 11, 2024, 6:30-8:30 PM – a live event (Zoom)
Christ Church Lutheran, 1090 Quintara Street
Sunset/Parkside District 4 Town Hall – Up-zoning Plans
Protect Neighborhoods, Support Merchants, Meet Housing Needs
Register – in person*  Limited space of 125
Register – via Zoom

https://www.neighborhoodsunitedsf.org/d4townhall

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San Francisco mayor’s veto of controversial housing bill is overturned

By Gabe Greschler : sfstandard – excerpt

Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s housing legislation passed on Tuesday despite a veto by Mayor London Breed earlier this month.

In a defeat for San Francisco Mayor London Breed on Tuesday, the Board of Supervisors overturned the mayor’s veto of Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s recent housing bill that pushes forward density limits along the city’s Northern Waterfront.

The vote was 8-3, with Supervisors Myrna Melgar, Joel Engardio and Matt Dorsey siding with the mayor. Breed and her supporters could not convince an additional supervisor to dissent, which would have kept her veto in place.

The passage of the bill will enact housing density controls for most developments in the Jackson Square Historic District, the Jackson Square Historic District Extension and the Northeast Waterfront Historic District. Projects under the city’s office-to-residential conversion program are exempt from the new rule.

“This is not only well considered but recommended by our Planning Department,” said Peskin. “This is not a policy discussion. This is a political discussion.”…(more)

RELATED:
Letting Aaron Peskin pass another anti-housing law would be a slap in the face for SF
CalMatters records on Senator Wiener, including his financial supporters

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Sweeping California bill wants to save downtown S.F. Is it the answer to the city’s problems?

By Roland Li : sfchronicle – excerpt

San Francisco’s leaders have spent the past few years desperately trying to figure out how to deal with a glut of empty offices, shuttered retail and public safety concerns plaguing the city’s once vibrant downtown. Now, a California lawmaker wants to try a sweeping plan to revive the city’s core by exempting most new real estate projects from environmental review, potentially quickening development by months or even years.

State Sen. Scott Wiener, D-San Francisco, introduced SB1227 on Friday as a proposal to exempt downtown projects from the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, for a decade. The 1970 landmark law requires studies of a project’s expected impact on air, water, noise and other areas, but Wiener said it has been abused to slow down or kill infill development near public transit.

“Downtown San Francisco matters to our city’s future, and it’s struggling — to bring people back, we need to make big changes and have open minds,” Wiener said in a statement. “That starts with remodeling, converting, or even replacing buildings that may have become outdated and that simply aren’t going to succeed going forward.”

Eligible projects would include academic institutions, sports facilities, mixed-use projects including housing, biotech labs, offices, public works and even smaller changes such as modifying an existing building’s exterior. The city’s existing zoning and permit requirements would remain intact…

Wiener said he agreed that CEQA provided important oversight but that downtown’s “concrete jungle” was different than more environmentally sensitive areas…

Wiener is also the author of SB969, which would allow alcohol to be served outdoors in designated downtown “entertainment zones.” Wiener’s SB886, in 2022, exempted university student housing projects from CEQA if they met similar requirements such as being near public transit and did not demolish rental housing. Wiener has also proposed SB951 this year to ease the Coastal Commission’s housing oversight in San Francisco.

Wiener has passed a long list of state laws meant to spur more housing construction, particularly in dense urban areas with access to transit. He has also zeroed in specifically on San Francisco’s housing crisis before, including last year when he passed a bill that requires cities behind on their state housing goals to streamline approval of some projects, including an amendment singling out San Francisco for more frequent assessments of its compliance.

…   (more)

Scott takes another jab at San Francisco that he claims does not remove local control in one of the densest neighborhoods, because he can? His opponents are looking good these days. Scott needs to pay for all his unfunded mandates and do something about the high cost of living like supporting AB 1999 to cut utility bills. The exorbitant rents and ridiculous costs of operation a business downtown is what cleared the offices. Removing cars and parking did not help either.

Continue reading “Sweeping California bill wants to save downtown S.F. Is it the answer to the city’s problems?”

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Wiener wants to allow more big development along the Ocean Beach coast

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

The infamous tower that nobody likes 

State Sen. Scott Wiener, in a move that makes very little policy sense, is trying to exempt San Francisco’s oceanfront areas from the jurisdiction of the California Coastal Commission.

On the surface, it’s a solution in search of a problem: The commission’s oversight powers are very limited, and only cover a tiny sliver of developable land on the Western edge of the city.

In the 51 years since the voters approved the commission, there have been only two instances when someone has appealed a development decision on the San Francisco coast—and both times, the commission denied the appeal…

Wiener’s bill, SB 951, would “remove urbanized San Francisco from the Coastal Zone — while retaining coastal natural resources in the zone — and refine the role of the coastal commission in housing approvals under certain circumstances.”…

“The Coastal Commission is the first pre-emption of local government land-use authority,” Sup. Aaron Peskin told me. “Wiener can’t have it both ways.”…

In fact, Peskin has introduced a resolution opposing the bill, and already has five co-sponsors.

“This is a naked power grab,”…

In addition to sending out odd press releases, Scott has a way to attacking his constituents during an election campaign that makes one wonder how much he really wants to continue in his position. There are three other candidates who so far have not threatened to squash San Francisco under the kind of loads Mr. Wiener is threatening to lower on us.

Only if you failed to witness the latest Scott Wiener attack via phone comments at the latest Coastal Commission Meeting, where he practically screamed at the Commissioners accusing them of holding up a project on the beach for 9 years. According to the Commissioners, he was mistaken and another organization help the project up for 9 years. They turned it around in 5 months once they were handed the documents they needed to proceed.

Details and links to the California Coastal Commission meeting are here:

https://csfn.net/index.php/2024/01/25/wiener-called-out-by-coastal-commissioners/One wonders how relevant this is to a similar encroachment on the Marina Green by Rec and Park that is under scrutiny now by the citizens and the Board of Supervisors. Does the state want to hand over our entire coastline to the Developers to do what they will with it? More on that here:

Ordinance # 231191 – Implementation of Gashouse Cove Project – Marina Yacht Harbor and oppose the plans proposed by San Francisco Rec & Park. Already two petitions have generated thousands of letters and neighborhood groups are living up to protest these projects. Add your voice.

In addition to his anti-constituent anti-build opponents, Wiener has now managed to piss off a lot of his YIMBY followers by attacking what is left of the streets of San Francisco. The anti-car brigade is out of control and has gone too far for many of his former fans. SFMTA pretty much killed downtown San Francisco by removing traffic and parking and now they are attacking our neighborhood businesses by destroying the roads from Valencia to Taraval.  People are crying ENUF ALREADY.