Category: Update

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Breed appointment triggers progressive jockeying at City Hall

By Michael Barba : sfexaminer – excerpt

‘The question is do they run against each other? Does that split up the field?’

Ever since Mayor London Breed nominated Dennis Herrera to lead the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, City Hall insiders have speculated on how the political dominoes will fall.

If all goes as planned for Herrera, Assemblyman David Chiu is widely rumored to be next in line for Herrera’s spot as city attorney. But what does that mean for Chiu’s job in the state legislature?

While nothing is certain this early on, the biggest names possibly considering a run for assembly are District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney and David Campos, vice chair of the California Democratic Party and chief of staff to District Attorney Chesa Boudin…(more)

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Two bills in the California Senate are making housing advocates upset

By Jennifer Howland : abc10 – excerpt (includes video)

Senate Bill 9 and Senate Bill 10 would allow for more units on single-family properties...(more)

Senate Bill 9 would:
1. Preempt local zoning
2. Up to 8 units on a single family lot
3. Developers not required to pay for
    infrastructure improvements
Senate Bill 10 would:
1. Allow cities and counties to approve
    up to 14 units on a single family lots
2. Don’t have to notify neighbors
Governor Newsom signed 60 housing bills in 4 years
that lack affordable requirements, reduce CEQA
environmental protections, increase density, and

encroach upon our homes, streets, and lifestyles.

We can see the sad results now. Sacramento’s solution is
to pass more restrictive developer bills that reduce public 
input, housing options, and the power of ballot initiatives.
They do nothing to solve our problems with EDD, water,
power, infrastructure, homelessness and crime.
Call and demand they Vote NO on SB9 and SSB10.

(Or find your CA State Rep HERE).

2.  Call your state representatives offices:
Senator Wiener: (916) 651-4011
Assemblymember Ting: (916) 319-2019
Assemblymember Chiu: (916) 319-2017

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Inflated RHNA Numbers Lead to Ruin

Inflated RHNA Numbers Lead to Ruin  (video)

Presented by Art Kiesel, former Mayor, Foster City
RHNA – Regional Housing Needs Assessment/Allocations.
The Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) calculates  new housing needs by region and then assigns the local Council  of Governments (MTC/ABAG) to determine the allocations for each city. But what if the numbers are wrong and the cities can’t meet the allocations?

New documents that describe the growing number of threats the state is using to override the constitutional jurisdiction of local government. Share them with your city and county councils.

Forward the docs below to your City Council or neighborhood association. Use public open time during a CC meeting to distribute and talk about your concerns re: top-down mandates.  Write about them in a Letter to the Editor of your local paper. Circulate them along with the video of the RHNA Town Hall.

3a 1 RHNA Appeals

3a 2 Consequences of Non-Compliance with Housing Laws 

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What about Water?

What about Water? (video)
Presented by Rick Johnson, retired Sr. Mgr, SF Water Department.
The legislators who push for more housing are ignoring the forecasts and consequences of drought. By 2050 California expects a population increase of 10 million people (25%) and increased occurrences of drought. Conversion of farm land to urban use and lack of water will result in decreased food supplies and increased prices. (note https://sfwater.org/ moved to sfpuc.org

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Plans for a public bank could take a big step forward this week

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt
Plus: More taxpayer money going to settle police misconduct cases. That’s The Agenda for May 31 to June 6.
 

The Board of Supes is poised to take the next step toward creating a public bank in San Francisco.

The Government Audit and Oversight Committee will consider Thursday/3 a measure that would set up a committee with a mandate to develop a working municipal banking plan within one year…(more)

and… via email form SF Public Bank…

SFPBC Gearing Up for SF Reinvestment Hearing June 3rd!

Continue reading “Plans for a public bank could take a big step forward this week”

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CCSF Faculty May Trade Layoffs for Across the Board Salary Cuts

By Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez : kqed – excerpt

A majority of the threatened layoffs at City College of San Francisco may soon be rescinded, but the deal came with a financial cost as faculty face the prospect of pay cuts across the board.

The agreement, announced in the early morning hours Saturday, comes after days of bargaining meetings between City College of San Francisco’s faculty union and administration.

Union members have until Monday afternoon to approve the deal. If approved, the Board of Trustees will vote on the proposal later that day.

‘This agreement allows the college to continue its mission as a community college by preserving classes that serve all our diverse communities.’Alan Wong, San Francisco City College Trustee…

‘This agreement allows the college to continue its mission as a community college by preserving classes that serve all our diverse communities.…(more)

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City Attorney Dennis Herrera to take over as head of SFPUC

By Joshua Sabatini : sfexaminer – excerpt

After serving as City Attorney since 2001, Dennis Herrera is expected to step down to become the next head of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

Mayor London Breed announced Monday that she is nominating Herrera to serve as the next general manager of the SFPUC.

The news came as a surprise to many and has raised some concerns since it would allow Breed to appoint Herrera’s successor. Herrera’s office has been investigating public corruption at City Hall since shortly after the federal arrest of former Public Works head Mohammed Nuru became public in January last year.

Herrera would be stepping in to run the power and water agency after its former head, Harlan Kelly, resigned in November. Federal prosecutors have accused Kelly of accepting bribes from City Contractor Walter Wong in exchange for help with city business, as part of the unfolding investigation centered around Nuru…(more)

At least the SFPUC will have legal council and there will be fewer excuses for illegal actions and errors in judgement with an attorney running the commission.

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SFMTA Gives Updates on Subway, JFK, Transit Lanes

By Benjamin Schneider : sfweekly – excerpt

Major changes are headed for California, Lombard, and Park Presidio, while car-free JFK and the Great Highway are slated for extensive study.

How was your 4/20? Hopefully, you didn’t spend it the way the SFMTA Board of Directors did, in a meeting that stretched nearly to the 8-hour mark.

Of course, some things do require a great deal of planning, and this past Tuesday, the SFMTA staff provided the board with updates on transit service, presented plans for new transit-only lanes and “high occupancy vehicle” lanes on some of the city’s busiest streets, and provided a glimpse of their future plans…

Car-Free Streets

In recent weeks, there’s been a whole lot of drama surrounding the question of whether to keep JFK Drive in Golden Gate Park car-free in perpetuity. Supervisor Shamann Walton has described the car-free stretch of road as “recreational redlining,” making the park inaccessible to his Bayview-Hunters Point constituents arriving at the park by car. The De Young Museum has also been lobbying to bring cars back to JFK, arguing that it prevents visitors from accessing the museum. The nearby Academy of Sciences has been more equivocal, saying they support a “thoughtful planning process” before a decision is made on a permanent closure to cars.(more)

Not sure how much the people in San Francisco are willing to put up with, but it looks like SFMTA and SFCTA are going to continue to push drivers out of town, as they are doing all they can to close the streets to cars. Not sure how much longer the majority of the city voters will continue to support the financial demands of the those entities either, but, there is a plan to protest the closure of the Great Highway May 1 at noon. Corner of Lincoln and Great Highway.

If you can, and you care about the way the SFMTA and SFCTA have been managing the streets, you should show up with a personal sign that describes your case for re-opening the Great Highway and the many other streets that have been closed.
Petitions: https://www.discoveryink.net/wp/petitions/
Protests: https://www.discoveryink.net/wp/actions/

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Ceci n’est pas une ferris wheel — in which San Francisco is distracted by a literal shiny object

By Joe Eskenazi : missionlocal – excerpt

So, the ferris wheel. The Golden Gate Park ferris wheel. The goddamn Golden Gate Park ferris wheel.

A town where, in the midst of a human and fiscal calamity, so much time and energy is expended and scenery is chewed regarding a ride in a park appears to have transcended the bounds of self-parody.

So, that sounds normal enough for San Francisco.

But then Drew Becher, CEO of the San Francisco Parks Alliance, penned a letter to Supervisor Connie Chan. And, just like that, we transcended the bounds of transcending the bounds.

Punishing constituents to exact political vengeance or demand fealty from a political leader is nothing new. But you’re not supposed to do it in writing. Or, when called on it, confirm it to the newspaper of record...(more)

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A dummy’s guide to the Gavin Newsom recall

By Eric Ting : sfgate – excerpt

In case you haven’t heard, there’s an ongoing campaign to recall Gov. Gavin Newsom.

March 17 marked the deadline for recall organizers to submit signatures to county elections offices, and organizers are very confident they have the numbers to force a recall election later this year…

How we got here

Newsom has angered many across the state over his handling of the pandemic…

Newsom has also drawn charges of hypocrisy after violating his own guidelines while dining at the French Laundry, and has kept his kids in private, in-person schools while most of the state’s public schools remain shut down. In addition, there’s a massive unemployment fraud scandal…

In the unlikely event enough people who signed the petition withdraw, the election is called off. If enough valid signatures remain, counties have until July 6 to notify the secretary of state’s office of this fact…

How recall election day works

On the designated election day, voters will receive one ballot with just two questions on it.

The first question will be something along the lines of, “Should Gavin Newsom be recalled?”

The second question will then ask voters to pick a candidate to replace Newsom…(more)