Category: Update

By J. K, ]. Dineen : sfchronicle – excerpt

San Francisco is poised to miss the first deadline state housing officials have set for reforming how it approves residential development, a blown due date that could cost the city local control over how projects are entitled and permitted.

Under a set of state mandates laid out in an Oct. 25 “San Francisco Housing Policy and Practice Review,” the California Department of Housing and Community Development, or HCD, gave the city 30 days to pass Mayor London Breed’s “constraints reduction” ordinance, which would slash red tape and allow many projects to go forward without a hearing at the Planning Commission.

While that deadline is Nov. 27, the ordinance has still not had a hearing at the committee level or before the full Board of Supervisors. While it could be heard at committee next week, it would likely not be before the full board for adoption until the second week of December.

San Francisco Planning Director Rich Hillis said he anticipates that next week HCD will send a letter warning that the city is out of compliance with state housing element laws, under which San Francisco is obligated to plan to accommodate 82,000 units before the end of 2031.

After the warning, the city would then have 30 days to come into compliance, or risk decertification of the housing element, which could allow property owners to apply for “builder’s remedy” projects, allowing them to bypass all local planning review. The city could also lose out on money for affordable housing and transportation as long as its housing element is not certified.

Hillis said he is hopeful the Board of Supervisors will pass the constraints legislation in time to avoid decertification. “It’s a tight window, but I think we can get there, given the schedule,” he said…

While the penalties for not following the state mandate are severe, some members of the Board of Supervisors are pushing back. On Nov. 7, Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduced a resolution urging the City Attorney David Chiu and the “city lobbyist” to work with state officials to extend the deadlines.

The resolution, co-sponsored by Supervisor Connie Chan, also takes issue with what it calls HCD’s “singular focus on private development policies and practices, and without sufficient measures to address racial equity, fair housing practices, affordability, and displacement.”

It points out that the city exceeded its goal for market rate housing over the last eight years, but fell short of its affordable housing goals. It said that the state deadlines “require adoption and action within time periods that may conflict with or are contrary to San Francisco’s Charter and other law.”

Rushing to decertify the city’s housing element “would completely deregulate development of market rate housing and put the approximately 65% of San Francisco’s population that are renters, as well as San Francisco’s historically marginalized low-income communities and communities of color at heightened risk of displacement,” the resolution reads.…(more)

Via email from rescuesf.org/

RescueSF participated in a project organized by the San Francisco Chronicle to propose innovative solutions to some of San Francisco’s biggest problems.

Government Reform

While San Francisco is simultaneously confronting multiple urgent challenges – such as homelessness, fentanyl, and downtown collapse – there is an even bigger crisis. Why is it so hard for City Hall to solve hard problems? RescueSF led the work on a proposal for San Francisco to launch a performance management pilot to make city government more effective, efficient, transparent, and accountable.

Read the proposal: Make City Government More Effective

Homeless Shelter: The Stabilization Center

We also collaborated on two proposals regarding new models for homeless shelters.

The first proposal, led by The Salvation Army, proposes to launch a new type of homeless shelter, called a stabilization center, that would address guests’ urgent primary and behavioral health needs. Homeless people in San Francisco suffer from serious physical health conditions – such as cardiovascular problems, respiratory problems, and skin conditions – as well as behavioral health issues – such as mental illness and substance use disorder. The stabilization center would give guests a place to rest, stabilize, and become healthier. The stabilization center would then connect guests to the most appropriate next step of their journey out of homelessness, such as behavioral health treatment, transitional housing, or permanent housing.

Read the Proposal: Open a Stabilization Center

Homeless Shelter: The Women’s Center

Homeless women, who represent approximately 34% of San Francisco’s unhoused population, are in critical need of safety, yet only 5% of the city’s homeless shelter and housing are designed specifically for women. The second proposal, led by Community Forward SF, proposes to launch a Women’s Center, a positive space where anyone who identifies as a woman can find housing, safety, healthy food, and a sense of community. The Center would provide women with immediate care and help them find a path to mental health support, long-term housing, and job opportunities.

Read the Proposal: Open a Women’s Center

Other Great Ideas for San Francisco

The Chronicle project included other great ideas for San Francisco on topics such as affordable housing, public safety, a downtown university, City hiring practices, and downtown revitalization.

Read All of the Proposals

Next Steps: Advocate for Great Ideas

City Hall should know that residents support innovative ideas to address our most serious problems. We will let you know about opportunities to advocate for these great ideas. Stay tuned!.

By Mary Jane Agnew : 48hills – excerpt

Rally suggests solution to downtown vacancies—and homelessness

“It’s been a real blessing to be able to focus on my personal healing,” Angel Heart said. “As a grandmother this is the first time in my life that I’ve been able to focus on the trauma and heal from the violence of poverty, and for that I’m so very grateful.”

Heart was talking about her experience with Homefullness in Oakland, which members describe as “a Poor and Indigenous–people led solution to homelessness.” Homefulness is a “sweat equity, permanent co-housing, education, arts, micro-business and social change project for landless/houseless and formerly houseless families and individuals.”…

Led by Tiny Gray-Garcia, a longtime activist, writer, and co-founder of POOR Magazine (and 48hills contributor), the creators and current inhabitants of Homefulness explained why this rent-free housing model should be replicated in San Francisco.

Co-founder of Homefulness and the Self Help Hunger Program “Auntie” Frances Moore declared that “with Homefulness its evident there’s power in the people. I’m asking San Francisco to take a good look, this is the template you need to be following. With APEC coming through… you’re going to sweep them all away, where are they going?”…(more)

By Bob Egelko : sfchronicle – excerpt

A new order by the state Supreme Court will require San Francisco to refund some of the taxes it assessed on the Westin St. Francis hotel after it was sold in 2015 — and, according to the hotel’s lawyer, will also bring millions of dollars in refunds to owners of other hotels across the state.

The court denied review Wednesday of San Francisco’s appeal of a state appellate court decision in August that found the city had overvalued the luxury hotel on Union Square by classifying some of its intangible assets, like potential income from guests for movie rentals, as taxable property.

San Francisco must now conduct a new assessment and refund the overcharges, which could amount to $1 million a year since the 2015 sale. The court’s order also means the ruling is binding on trial courts statewide, and it will apply to many transactions in other counties, said Colin Fraser, attorney for the Westin St. Francis owners.

“The most important impact of this decision is not just on this property, but that it will affect hotel evaluations for property taxes throughout the state of California,” Fraser said Thursday. He said local governments for many years have used the same method as San Francisco to assess the value of newly sold hotels…(more)

Another problem that comes with living on future projections has raised its ugly head in California. Better clue the national press in on the sad state of our economy. They are making a big mistake in hastily accepting the paid press and fancy footwork of lobbyists instead of looking at the reality that is punching us in the face. When the school board bounces checks we know there is a big problem.

By Joe Eskenazi : missionlocal – excerpt

In the latest instance of the San Francisco Unified School District having difficulty paying its employees, some of the city’s most-credentialed teachers had their stipend checks bounce last week.

Multiple public school teachers have reported to Mission Local that their attempts to deposit the $5,000 check the district pays to National Board Certified instructors have failed.

“Over the weekend, I went to the ATM to try to deposit it and the ATM said ‘error,’” said Tara Ramos, a teacher-librarian at Sanchez Elementary School in the Mission. “I took it to the teller and they tried three different ways and they couldn’t take it.”…(more)

By Tim Redmond : missionlocal – excerpt New ‘public-private’ entity would charge $40 admission to events, threaten flora and fauna, attract 180,000 visitors—with no public notice. The latest “public private partnership” under the Recreation and Parks Department is calling for a winter nightime light show in the Botanical Gardens that will attract between 80,000 and 180,000 people at $28 to $40 a ticket and bring the private Botanical Gardens and Rec-Park an estimated $500,000. The concept has upset some park advocates, including the California Native Plant Society, which says the crowded, noisy shows could disrupt the circadian cycles of both plants and wildlife in the park…(more) The residents living near the park must be very upset. They just saw the end of the Ferris Wheel with its night lights and now there are more plans for night lights. For a city that wants to be green and conserve energy, these constant light shows are a waste and environmental menace. Who is ready to stop this wanton abuse of nature in the park?

By John King : sfchronicle – excerpt

The image of North Beach has long been well-defined.

There’s the Italian overlay, once seen in the faces and now reflected in the abundance of pasta- and pizza-fueled restaurants. The beatnik-era poets published by still-vibrant City Lights Bookstore. Wooden buildings that press tight against steep blocks below Coit Tower.

It’s an alluring collage — and one that was feeling musty by the time COVID-19 hit in 2020, especially in a city that, in recent years, has put a premium on the different and new. Yet, not only has the aged district weathered the pandemic, the commercial heart of North Beach also feels more vibrant than it has in a decade or more.

Grant Avenue street fairs on the first Friday of every month draw large and lively crowds. Sales tax revenue was back to 2019 levels by the end of 2022. Since then, a bookstore has opened in a historic bakery closed since 2015, a grocer has moved into a former bank and there are several new restaurants and cafes..(more)

Isn’t it obvious why North Beach is thriving? Unlike other neighborhoods in San Francisco very little has been allowed to change. Supervisor Chiu kepth the Central Subway from emerging in the middle of Colombus Ave. There has been no forced demolition to build gentrifying towers. There are No cranes in the sky and very little up-zoning has been allowed in this neighborhood of lowrise buildings where residents are fiercely independent and very protective of their little piece of history in San Francisco. The vitality of North Beach is testimony to the argument that preservation of neighobhroods ensures their economic survival. We should all be so lucky. Now they have Aaron Peskin to protect them. When he leaves who will follow?

by Josh Koehn : sfstandard – excerpt

No ballots were cast last week in San Francisco, but that didn’t stop some of the city’s most influential political players from gathering for an election party in the Mission.

That may sound a bit unusual, but in many ways, this was not a normal party.

The gathering—held Tuesday at a condo owned by Garry Tan, the vociferous CEO of tech startup incubator Y Combinator—was designed to celebrate victories scored by moderate Democrats in 2022, as well as bring together an eclectic cast of elected officials and political organizers in a rallying cry for two elections in 2024.

According to several people who attended the party, a dramatic shift is underway in how local political organizations and their campaign committees are aligning to defeat progressives and confront a range of issues next year—from passing ballot measures and winning supervisor races to unseating incumbent judges. A leader of one of these political groups estimated they could spend as much as $15 million combined in next year’s elections…

“We’re all trying to respond to similar problems but have different takes on what the solutions are,” said Kanishka Cheng, the head of TogetherSF Action. “I think people like Garry and others in leadership roles are doing their best to present this as a coalition of organizations that are working together to solve these problems.”…

Todd David, a political director for Abundant SF who attended the party, said the groups seem to be aligned on almost everything outside of possibly the mayor’s race. Abundant SF is backing the reelection of Mayor London Breed but does not plan to spend money on the race…

“We don’t all agree on everything, but that’s the beauty of this coalition: no purity tests,” Buss said. “We are just focusing on getting the basics, like clean streets, safe streets, building homeless shelters, building housing and helping small businesses. Garry is a great cheerleader for commonsense causes.”…

Jim Stearns, a longtime political consultant in San Francisco who works on competing progressive campaigns, called the gathering at Tan’s condo “extremely dicey” as it gives off the appearance that candidates are improperly coordinating with political committee…

The major disagreement among the people I know who are in those groups is over transit and car issues. Some of Marjan’s supporters hate SFMTA because they are killing the merchants with thier anti-parking and anti-car acitons. They are primarily united over teh crime isseus. That is why YIMBY switched to crime and homelessness. I am glad to see they do not all agree on the solutions. – Mari

By Rachel Swan : sfchronicle – excerpt (audio coming soon)

Czech TV journalist Bohumil Vostal was capturing what he thought would be a majestic shot — San Francisco’s iconic City Lights bookstore, steeped in the gathering dusk — when three masked assailants approached with guns pointed.

“They were heading at my camera man, aiming a gun at his stomach, and one at my head,” Vostal said in an interview Monday, growing breathless as he recounted the harrowing incident at 5 p.m. the night before.

Vostal is among hundreds of international correspondents who flocked to San Francisco this week for the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit, an event drawing some of the world’s most powerful leaders to downtown and Nob Hill. Like many reporters, Vostal had seen news coverage of unruly shoplifters, open-air drug markets and commercial vacancies, but he hoped to portray the city in a more positive light.

But after three armed perpetrators confronted Vostal and his cameraman on Columbus Avenue, stealing more than $18,000 worth of equipment and precious footage from a day of wandering the city, the Czech newsman said he felt shattered.

“I’m one of those many people who used to read Jack Kerouac’s ‘On the Road,’ and I was so much looking forward to visit your city,” he said, recalling how magical the day of filming had been…(more)

By Tom Pendergast : richmondreview – excerpt

The end of the road is on the horizon for a section of the Great Highway between Sloat and Skyline boulevards, after a unanimous vote by the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) on Oct. 10.

The four-member commission recommended the San Francisco Recreation and Park Department authorize the closure of that highway section via a resolution passed by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors…

Commission Vice President Anthony Rivera expressed concerns about the traffic patterns and safety issues involved in redesigning that intersection.

“This is going to be a major change to the current flow of traffic and not only concerns for potential traffic congestion but also, this is an area that attracts a lot of children, families with disabled kids; it is so hard to get across Sloat,” Rivera said. “I just want to make sure that we have safeguards in place for those individuals who are going to be there every day…

“I know that there’s parking along the median on Sloat and there’s a lot of new developments and there’s potential for other changes coming up,” he added. “I don’t know what SFMTA is planning on putting (in there) but I know that there’s different ways to control the traffic.”

That day the commission also authorized the SFPUC “in coordination with other partner agencies” to evaluate vehicle access to the SF Zoo’s parking lot, and consider whether any subsequent project is necessary to provide “enhanced vehicle access.”

San Francisco Zoo officials are also worried about safety issues that may arise from closing the Great Highway and redirecting traffic eastward around the Zoo, as well as other negative impacts the project might have on them.

A letter from the Zoo’s CEO, Tanya M. Peterson, to the commission clarified their concerns…

“The temporary closure of the Great Highway has had a negative impact on the Zoo in various ways. Historically, Zoo attendance averages approximately 1 million visitors annually, but with the Great Highway’s closure on weekends and holidays, annual visitor numbers have decreased. Moreover, the Zoo visitor experience has been impacted dramatically,” Peterson said.

“Zoo visitors are limited to a very narrow entry/exit off of Sloat Boulevard, resulting in a very congested parking lot with slow egress, a potential concern during an emergency. Construction trucks from the north further confuse Zoo visitors’ U-turns from westbound traffic on Sloat to access the Zoo’s parking lot.

“In addition, (Zoo staff) believes animal welfare has been and will continue to be impacted by the construction on the Great Highway. Already, the construction noise and vibration at and near the Zoo’s borders have and will continue to impact those animals closest to the construction sites. Also, construction generates air pollutants that potentially impact those animals closest to the construction sites, not to mention that visitors and staff are subjected to the construction generated air pollutants,” Peterson said…

“The Zoo requests: permanent return of its ‘overflow’ parking area to alleviate the congestion now being experienced within the Zoo’s lot; short-term, construction mitigations to ameliorate conditions described above; and consistent with prior overtures of the agency, a new ingress and egress suitable for a significant cultural institution of San Francisco, which invites, not deters, visitors and others,” she said…(more)

One assumes some animal rights groups might be concerned about this. Who else? Does San Francisco care about their zoo? Or is that on the shopping block?