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PRESS RELEASE: SAN FRANCISCO HERITAGE PROTESTS PLANNED DEMOLITION OF CITY LANDMARK

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 21, 2025 [SAN FRANCISCO]—San Francisco Heritage, the city’s leading preservation nonprofit, protests a planned demolition of 447 Battery Street, one of San Francisco’s 320 designated city landmarks, and calls on the Board of Supervisors to preserve the building.

As part of a proposed development agreement between the city and developer Related California, 447 Battery Street—the former Jones Thierbach Coffee Company warehouse and San Francisco Landmark no. 299—is proposed for demolition to make way for a mixed-use luxury office/hotel tower at 530 Sansome Street and new city fire station.

“This is unprecedented,” said Woody LaBounty, SF Heritage President & CEO. “Since the city’s landmarks program establishment in the late 1960s, only 320 have been designated and none have been intentionally destroyed.”…

“Landmarks are more than old or attractive buildings,” LaBounty said. “From the Mission Cultural Center to the Rainbow Flag in the Castro to City Cemetery in Lincoln Park, they tell our collective story. By establishing that they can be erased for needs of the moment we open the door to losing any of them.”

San Francisco has more than 200,000 parcels, but only 320 designated landmarks under Article 10 of the Planning Code. The purpose of Article 10 is described as necessary to promote the health, safety, and general welfare of the public through, in part, “the enrichment of human life in its educational and cultural dimensions…by fostering knowledge of the living heritage of the past.”… (more)

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SF PARKS ALLIANCE SINKS DEEPER INTO CORRUPTION INVESTIGATION

By : borkeassstuart – excerpt (June 19)

The more people who speak out, the more this case looks like massive corruption and misallocation of funds was conducted by certain people in the SF Parks Alliance (SFPA). The organization faces a criminal investigation by the district attorney, and the city attorney is conducting a probe to determine whether millions in public and private money were misused.

The SF Parks Alliance is a nonprofit that partners with public and private agencies to help with park-related projects across San Francisco. And to be fair, we’ve had a lot of amazing park-related programming here, like the art installations at Entwined or the Golden Mile in Golden Gate Park, to SF Live concerts in Crane Cove or Sundown Cinema in neighborhoods citywide, and those lovely murals painted on our slow streets…just to name a few!…

Rumors of financial mismanagement began to swirl in February, when the Head of SF Parks nonprofit Drew Becher resigned, and Parks COO Justin Probert was fired. Then, in May, the Chronicle reported on leaked emails between board chair Louise Mozingo and a donor over $3.8 million of misused funds…

Many neighborhood groups say the Parks Alliance was holding their funds when it folded in February. For example, The SF Standard reported that this week that Parks Alliance had $148,000 of the Friends of Franklin Square‘s money, which is now lost. At a conversation on Tuesday at Manny’s cafe featuring Recreation and Parks General Manager Phil Ginsburg, a Friends of Alta Plaza Park member, Anita Denz, said a $50,000 bequeathment was now missing. 

Meanwhile, the Parks Alliance continued laying off staffers in June. Ironically, the Park’s home page is still asking for donations, with the slogan, “SF Public Places Are in Danger: Budget cuts threaten our parks–DONATE TODAY!”…

Supervisor Shamann Walton has subpoenaed documents from the Parks Alliance and is calling for Ogilvie, Becher, and board treasurer Rich Hutchinson to testify. Supervisor Jackie Fielder has called for an audit of the nonprofit’s relationship with the Recreation and Parks Department.  

It will be a lengthy process to find out where all the money went, and if the organizations that were working with the SFPA, will ever be made whole…(more)

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YOUNG PEOPLE ARE LEAVING S.F. CAN AN OBSCURE CHANGE TO THE CITY’S CODE HELP BRING THEM BACK?

By Emily Hoeven – sfchronicle – excerpt

… An arcane city planning code provision prohibits more than five people from living together in the same “dwelling unit” — such as a single-family home or large apartment — unless they’re legally related family members or they function like a family, including by buying and eating all their meals together.

Six unrelated housemates living together in, say, a six-bedroom Victorian, is essentially outlawed….

San Francisco embraces co-living in places designated as group homes, such as “tech dorms,” tiny sleeping pods and single-room occupancy hotels. (Masimore’s building, which is attached to a church, used to be a rectory that housed the clergy.)

But until now, single-family homes and large apartments have been off-limits for these types of arrangements.

On Monday, Supervisor Bilal Mahmood plans to introduce legislation to change that, he shared with me exclusively.

The five-person limit is “arbitrary and difficult to enforce,” Mahmood told me, adding that it’s also “antithetical to San Francisco values” by creating a distinction between related family and chosen family. Furthermore, Mahmood said, “It doesn’t even reflect our range of housing needs.” …

By focusing on lease agreements, rather than individuals, Mahmood’s bill doesn’t limit the number of people who can live in a dwelling unit. (He’s setting the maximum number of lease agreements at nine to avoid interfering with another part of the city code that requires any building with 10 or more units to pay inclusionary housing fees.) .

Fixing San Francisco’s codes gets complicated quickly, but Mahmood’s legislation could prove to be an innovative solution to help the city’s housing crisis. … (more)

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A ‘poison pill’ in California’s budget deal ties state spending to construction

By Alexei Koseff : calmatters – excerpt

IN SUMMARY: A state budget is headed to Gov. Gavin Newsom for his signature, but it won’t take effect unless the Legislature makes changes to housing and infrastructure development rules that he has demanded…

After days of confusion in which a deal with Gov. Gavin Newsom threatened to unravel over his demand to include new housing and infrastructure regulations, the California Legislature passed an updated state budget on Friday.

With the start of a new fiscal year looming on July 1, budget negotiations — already challenged by a $12 billion and growing deficit — dragged on this week as Newsom and legislative leaders struggled to reach an agreement on waiving state environmental reviews for priority projects.

The details of that proposal were only made public Friday morning, hours before the budget vote, despite a poison pill that would invalidate the entire $321 billion spending plan if the Legislature does not also approve the infrastructure proposal, Senate Bill 131. Lawmakers are expected to take it up on Monday, alongside the housing measure Newsom sought, Assembly Bill 130, which was unveiled and then amended this week following fierce blowback from organized labor.

Officials involved in those negotiations have been loath to explain why the budget process staggered to such an odd and protracted conclusion this year, even as California is now set to adopt sweeping changes to how it builds without much public notice. Senate President Pro Tem Mike McGuire and Assembly Speaker Robert Rivas refused to speak with reporters after the vote…

The final budget relies on reserves and internal borrowing … (more)

Internal borrowing?

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New S.F. planning director’s appointment process was illegal, commissioner says

By Queer Lu : missionlocal – excerpt

Commission president wrangled votes for mayor’s pick to lead department, commissioner alleges, in violation of open meeting laws

pastedGraphic.png
Kathrin Moore, Gilbert Williams and Theresa Imperial walk out of a planning commission meeting on June 18, 2025.

A San Francisco planning commissioner is challenging the legality of Mayor Daniel Lurie’s appointment of the city’s new planning director, Sarah Dennis Phillips.

Kathrin Moore, the planning commission’s vice president, emailed the city attorney’s office stating that Lydia So, the president of the commission, has “clearly and unequivocally” violated the law.

Moore recounted that So called her and two other commissioners separately the night before the June 18 vote suggesting that they “act in support of the Mayor’s wish to recommend a particular individual to the Mayor to be the new Planning Director,” according to an email addressed to Deputy City Attorney Austin Yang that was obtained by Mission Local…

Multiple City Hall veterans with varying views on development have told Mission Local that they think Dennis Phillips, who was the director of the Office of Economic and Workforce Development and a former city planner, is “fantastic” and “qualified for the job.”…

“The whole purpose of these laws like the Brown Act … is transparency,” Wheaton said. “It’s to try as much as we can to wring the politics out of politics, to try to get people to do things on the merits and to be proud of what they’ve done and not have it be done with secret phone calls.”… (more)

It seems the problem is not with the appointee but with the process. Given the massive number of processes that and being ignored and circumvented, it is heathy to revisit this one that is so bravely contested. We at least have a chance to discuss the importance of our elected and our civil servants following the law. So much is being made of the lack of legal process on the national front which is seemingly difficult to address. There is no reason not to investigate the problem when it is close to home. No one after all is able the law.

It would be good for the citizens of San Francisco to be aware of the law and the ramifications for ignoring it where the Brown Act is concerned. People might be more likely to recognize improper actions when they see them and speak up.

We have been investigating other cases involving questionable actions taken by other departments through sunshine requests. It appears that normal protocol for condudcting business that effects the public has been dropped by some departments. 

It will be interesting to see who is responsible for the decision to ignore the legal proceedings in such a public manner. What may the remedy be and how may we get back to legal proceedings?

 

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SF plan to add housing density set to go before lawmakers

: sfexaminer – excerpt (audio)

San Francisco’s yearslong, often-contentious campaign to redraw its zoning map reached a major milestone Tuesday when Mayor Daniel Lurie formally submitted the legislative package for his “family zoning” plan, which aims to add housing density throughout The City’s western and northern neighborhoods.

“For too long, San Francisco made it easier to block homes than to build them,” Lurie said, during a press conference to highlight the legislative advance.

Lurie delivered his remarks in front of a five-story affordable development in San Francisco’s Westwood Park neighborhood that was built in the wake of a previous round of upzoning…

City leaders must approve an up zoning plan that passes muster with California authorities by January 2026 or risk penalties that include state funding cuts as well as the loss of more control over local development decisions.

But even as Lurie’s legislative package moves forward, a number of key companion measures — intended to address widespread unease about the up zoning proposals — remain very much on the drawing board.

Those measures include separate legislative packages that would add additional safeguards for tenants and small businesses. They have been drawn up in collaboration with progressive housing activists who warn that if The City fails to act, the proposed up zoning ordinance could unleash a wave of evictions, as redevelopment projects proliferate and displace longstanding tenants.

“At this point, it seems like everyone’s working diligently” to draft the companion measures, People Power Media cofounder Joseph Smooke, who has been helping to lead the advocacy campaign surrounding the rezoning effort.

Nevertheless, Smooke said, “we’re cautious of course, because the schedules could become out of sync quickly.”

Advocates are also pushing The City to adopt stronger preservation standards for historic buildings and to draw up an inventory of sites that are suitable for the development of publicly-funded affordable housing.

During the Tuesday morning press conference, Planning Department officials said The City is still on track to pass the companion measures alongside the central rezoning legislation.

“We’re ensuring that this plan reflects local voices and local values, and will continue to do that as it moves through the adoption process,” said Sarah Dennis Phillips, who has been leading the Office of Economic and Workforce Development but is now set to replace Planning Director Rich Hillis after he recently announced plans to resign from the role…. (more)

 

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VC billionaire Michael Moritz’s foundation gives $3.4M to S.F. immigrant defense

by JOE RIVANO BARROS : missionlocal – excerpt

Gift is latest of $36 million donated by foundation to San Francisco city departments

The personal foundation of Michael Moritz, the venture capitalist billionaire who has been one of the most active donors in San Francisco politics, has given $3.4 million to the San Francisco Public Defender’s office to hire more immigrant defense attorneys in light of President Donald Trump’s recent crackdown.

The gift by the Crankstart Foundation, Moritz’ vehicle for philanthropy, would pay for three additional attorneys and a paralegal for the next four years. The public defender’s office applied for the funds and was awarded the gift on March 11. It’s set to be approved by the Board of Supervisors in the coming weeks.

The “immigrant defense unit” of the public defender’s office, which currently has six attorneys, is rare: It is one of a few across the country that provides free legal counsel for immigrants in deportation proceedings. It was started in 2017 in response to the anti-immigrant wave during Trump’s first term. .. (more)

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Phil Ginsburg was in the hot seat Tuesday

PastedGraphic-1.pngby Gabe Greschler, Joe Fitzgerald Rodriguez & Han Li : via sfstandard email

Phil Ginsburg was in the hot seat Tuesday at Manny’s cafe as owner Manny Yekutiel hosted the longtime Parks and Recreation Department head for a discussion about the state of his agency. But it wasn’t long before the conversation turned to the Parks Alliance, the “friends of” nonprofit that for years raised money for city parks before abruptly folding this month, leaving donor funds unaccounted for.

At one point during the hour-long conversation, Friends of Alta Plaza Park member Anita Denz, who was in the audience, said a $50,000 gift that had been bequeathed to her organization was among the missing funds, prompting yells from other attendees.

“What happened?” Yekutiel asked Ginsburg about halfway through the talk. Ginsburg explained that he thought investigators would not find anything “nefarious” in terms of how money was used at the Parks Alliance, and mentioned the pandemic as a likely factor in the nonprofit’s financial instability.

“And how did they get there? I think recklessness from the leadership and neglect from the board,” Ginsburg said. The Parks Alliance board pointed the finger at former COO Justin Probert, who was fired in February 2024, accusing him of “financial malfeasance” in a document that was obtained by The Standard.

When asked what might happen to the neighborhood groups that may have lost money in the Parks Alliance’s collapse, Ginsburg said there are early conversations about inviting donors to help make them whole.

Ildiko Polony, who leads one of the groups affected by the nonprofit’s implosion, said there is an idea brewing to create another Parks Alliance-type organization. Other nonprofits, including San Francisco Beautiful, are encouraging organizations like Polony’s to be absorbed by theirs.

“They’re like preventative medicine,” Polony told Power Play of the city’s parks. “Parks and nature need to be invested in.”

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Supervisors debate Over Budget this week

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

Dates for budget item considerations by the SF Board of Supervisors this week…

The supes will learn, we hope, more specifics on the mayor’s budget cuts this week as the Budget and Appropriations Committee begins what will be a long series of hearings on the individual departments’ budget proposals.

The supes can’t directly add money to the mayor’s budget, although they can cut. Typically, the Budget and Legislative Analyst finds millions in cuts that the supes can then negotiate with the mayor to fund as “add backs.”…

And what, exactly, is going to be cut?…

On Wednesday/11, the committee will start with these agencies: Assessor/Recorder, Treasurer and Tax Collector, Technology Department, Board of Appeals, City Administrator, Health Service System, Civil Service Commission, Human Resources, Department of Elections, Department of General City Responsibility Controller, Human Services Agency, Building Inspection, Planning Department, Ethics Commission, Public Works, Board of Supervisors

Thursday/12, Asian Arts Museum, Fine Arts Museum, Academy of Sciences, Arts Commission, War Memorial, Child Support Services, Early Childhood, Recreation and Park, Homelessness and Supportive Housing, Public Health, Mayor’s Office/Housing and Community Development, Human Rights Commission/Status of Women, Department on Children, Youth, and Their Families, Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

Friday/13 is when some of the most controversial proposals will come before the panel: City Attorney, Office of the Superior Court, Environment Department, Law Library, Public Library, Retirement System, Rent Board, Emergency Management, Juvenile Probation, Adult Probation, Public Defender, Fire Department, Sheriff’s Department, Police Accountability, Department of Inspector General, District Attorney, Police Department…

Also: Lurie has said he will fund the new Office of the Inspector General, which has funding mandates in the charter, but nobody has been hired yet …(more)