Category: Update

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

Narrow 4-3 votes ends the ability of community activists to call out unscrupulous landlords and speculators.

The Planning Commission, in a 4-3 vote, approved Thursday Mayor London Breed’s proposal to let the planning director approve, without public or commission input, all housing development that the uses the state density bonus plan.

All of the commissioners appointed by the Board of Supervisors voted No. All of the commissioners appointed by the mayor voted Yes.

The density bonus plan, under State Sen. Scott Wiener’s SB 35 and SB 423, allows for streamlined approval and additional density for housing that includes a modest percentage of affordable housing, below what San Francisco until recently required.

Since almost every developer building market-rate housing in the city is going to use that bonus, the commission in essence gave the department staff the ability without public input to approve any new market-rate project.

Several speakers pointed out an essential problem: The law doesn’t allow this sort of approval if the property had tenants living in it who were evicted or otherwise forced out—but San Francisco has no way to track that information.

Over the past few years, when unscrupulous landlords or speculators tried to get around the rules, community activists would come to the commission and present evidence that the building was once tenant occupied.

No more… (more)

Why does the Mayor need more power when she is able to silence most public opposition now through appointments? Be sure to see this SFStandard article and watch to see how the media spins the story. We appear to have a case of the blind leading the blind.

By Josh Koehn : sfstandard – excerpt

In an embarrassing blunder, a moderate political group in San Francisco withdrew a ballot measure intended to cut bureaucracy at City Hall just two weeks after it announced the ordinance in a press conference.

TogetherSF Action confirmed to The Standard on Monday that it was pulling one of two proposed ballot measures to reform the city charter because, contrary to the group’s goal of empowering the mayor to make more decisions, it would actually hand more authority to the Board of Supervisors…

The group decided to scrap the measure before a Tuesday deadline after huddling with officials in the Mayor’s Office last week. TogetherSF Action plans to revise it and submit a new version to the Department of Elections…(more)

Who does not know that “Eliminating certain commissions would kick oversight responsibilities over to the Board of Supervisors”?

This is a bit more than a blunder. It shows a lack of understanding about how the government functions by the people trying to reform it. It is, as Mandelman said, a bit more complicated than it may appear. What is even more perplexing is why is this mayor is involved in changing mayoral powers for all future mayors. Perhaps some of our intrepid leaders became too fond of the executive powers they had under the emergency declarations during the pandemic.

If anyone wants to look at a department controlled by Mayoral appointees with authoritarian powers they should look at the SFMTA. If you like the way the SFMTA operates you may want to extend those powers to other government entities. And remove the line item veto from their budgets as well.

Margot Smith for Assembly District 14

Thanks Margot. We need more people willing to take a stand for the citizens of California. https://www.margotsmithforassembly.com/

Opinion By Emily Hoeven : sfchronicle – excerpt

California’s citizen’s arrest process has significant implications for how law enforcement handles lower-level crime. And how victims are treated

Joseph Shapiro heard the screaming first.

But, as the then 68-year-old law firm administrator stepped out of a cab in front of his downtown San Francisco office one morning last October, he didn’t think much about it. He’d recently moved from Pennsylvania to a neighborhood not far from the Tenderloin, where such sounds were commonplace enough that he barely registered them anymore.

Then came the hard crack of something hitting his head — and the sudden, sharp sensation of pain in his skull and shoulder…

Dazed, Shapiro grabbed his phone and called 911. Police arrived on the scene about six minutes later — during which time Shapiro observed the aggressor continuing to scream and threaten people with a broomstick, according to a call transcript I obtained from the San Francisco Department of Emergency Management.

To Shapiro’s astonishment, however, police told him he had to sign a citizen’s arrest form for the alleged offender, identified as 45-year-old Billy Jiles Holdman III of San Francisco, to be taken into custody…

California’s citizen’s arrest process — a little-understood procedure that’s been in place since 1872 — has significant implications for how law enforcement handles lower-level crime.

Under the state penal code, without a warrant, law enforcement officers can’t arrest someone for most misdemeanor crimes unless the offense happens in their presence — or unless a witness signs a citizen’s arrest form…

In a statement, the District Attorney’s Office said, “When we are unable to get in touch with victims or witnesses, we proceed in good faith, and work to advance justice in accordance with professional and ethical guidelines.” The office added, “We only bring forth charges that we can prove.”

For Shapiro, the experience solidified “everything I’ve been hearing about street crime in this city — that it’s not being dealt with.”

“I thought when they replaced the DA … part of this was about finding somebody who was going to pay more attention to street crime,” Shapiro said. “But this happened under the new one, so …”…(more)

By Sophia Bollag : sfchronicle – excerpt

As other counties across California plan to delay adoption of a new law that expands involuntary commitment of people with severe mental illness, San Francisco is charging ahead.

The new state law expands the group of people who can be placed into involuntary medical treatment to include people whose mental illness or drug addiction inhibits their ability to keep themselves safe. The law does not change the court process people must go through before they are compelled into treatment, which involves hearings and opportunities for people to argue before a judge that they do not need to be detained or placed in a conservatorship.

Mayor London Breed directed San Francisco departments to start preparing for the new law the day after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed it. She told the Chronicle her administration plans to begin filing paperwork to put more people into conservatorships or involuntary psychiatric holds as soon as it takes effect next year.

The new law, SB43 by Sen. Susan Talamantes Eggman, D-Stockton, was sponsored by psychiatric organizations and other health care professionals who said it would get a small but troubled group of people off the streets and into treatment…(more)

By Joe Garofoli : sfchronicle – excerpt

Since opening shop five years ago, Manny Yekutiel has rallied patrons of his eponymous Mission District civic engagement space to raise $10 million for Democrats around the country. More recently, he helped to create the Civic Joy Fund, whose $2 million endowment is focused on revitalizing San Francisco with everything from volunteer trash cleanups to last weekend’s citywide drag shows.

Soon, though, Yekutiel may be more focused on spotlighting one particular cause: his own.

“I’m thinking about running for mayor,” Yekutiel told me. He said he will make a final decision on New Year’s Day, 10 months before voters will decide whether to reelect London Breed or go in another direction…(more)

By Tim Redmond : 489hills – excerpt

No, the supes didn’t ‘punt’ on housing bill 48hills.org

… All Mandelman is seeking is some guarantee that the “streamlining” won’t open the door for giant McMansions (instead of more apartments) and some indication that housing built before 1923 can’t be demolished without a hearing.

These are not radical ideas. They will likely get strong, perhaps unanimous support. (Do any of the supes want to be on record supporting the demolition of irreplaceable Victorians that are a key part of the city’s historic legacy?)

In a normal situation, the mayor of San Francisco would be calling the governor to say: Hey, we’re doing 90 percent of what you want. Back off on the last ten percent.

Instead, Mayor London Breed is siding with Newsom, against her own city, in the interest of promoting a policy that promotes luxury housing at the expense of affordable housing.

What the supes are doing isn’t “punting” or even delaying the bill for no reason. They are following the rules, trying desperately to put some sense into the city’s complicated housing rules, and waiting just a few days for a final version…(more)

This is why many people are joining the movement to replace our state representatives and roll back the bills they passed that removed local control over our development decisions and are trying to force communities to cover the costs of expanding the infrastructure needed to support a larger population by removing development fees. The state is putting our health and lives at risk of fires and floods and environmental disasters. When banks and insurance companies leave the state it is because they feel the risk is too high. The state is gambling with our lives and it is time to put a stop to it. Join us Saturday at Livable California to find out what you can do. Register here: https://www.livablecalifornia.org/

And sign up to support ourneighborhoodvoices.com

Editorial : sunsetbeacon – excerpt

Those who have recently moved to San Francisco may not be aware that the 55-acres of Strybing Arboretum were free to all comers until relatively recently, via four different gates from morning until evening. It was a great place where one could really relax and get away from urban life and meet a wide variety of people. Along with a UCSF library whose four floors were open until midnight, and a plethora of cheap food shops, this place was one of the reasons I moved to the Inner Sunset originally.

Unfortunately, wealthy people saw an opportunity for wealth and glory and, after paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to consultants such as BMWL’s Sam Lauter, privatized these 55 acres. As a result, many can no longer get in without paying; none of us can bring guests without paying; and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society (originally the Strybing Arboretum Society) complete controls who enters, how much we pay. and what ID we must show to prove we are genuine San Franciscans and not San Franciscans exiled by skyrocketing rents to other locales. No meetings with locals and the San Francisco Botanical Garden Society have ever been held.

Gardens have been destroyed, but new commercial spaces have been developed. Taxpayers forked out $1.1 million for an imperial new fence. The San Francisco Botanical Garden Society has been granted complete control of the Japanese Tea Garden and the Conservatory of Flowers as well…(more)

Delegates at the November CSFN GA Meeting voted unanimously to oppose this and other enterprise projects that are selling public space for private gain. Perhaps it is time to talk to our leaders at City Hall about that practice that came about when the city decided to turn our public space into enterprise zones. We might also discuss how much of which services do we want to pay for. The make up mentality has made enough work and it is time to back down.