The Weekly Digest (April 14, 2024)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Brionies! 


Here’s what you need to know about San Francisco politics this week and beyond:


City Hall


  • Tuesday, April 16 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda here)

    • Item 9 – Ordinance authorizing $2.8 million settlement of a lawsuit by two Black employees of the Sheriff’s Department who alleged racial discrimination, harassment, and retaliation.

    • Item 20—Ordinance requiring owners of multifamily residential buildings to notify City Hall and qualified nonprofits if their buildings go into foreclosure and granting right of first offer and right of first refusal to purchase the foreclosed property.

  • Wednesday, April 17 at 1:30pm: Regular meeting of the Budget and Appropriations Committee (agenda here)

    • Item 2 – Hearing on the Mayor’s proposed budget for Homeless Services, Supportive Housing, and Tenant Protection Services.

  • Thursday, April 18 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee (agenda here)

    • Item 1 – Hearing on the Dream Keepers Initiative, the $120 million program that moved funding away from law enforcement and toward social service programs in the wake of George Floyd’s killing. Essential background reading here.

Call to Action


  • The SFPD is looking to update a number of Department General Orders, and they’re soliciting public participation, collaboration, and feedback. This is a fantastic opportunity to have your voice heard and learn about the challenges facing officers who protect the City. See here for more information.


Happenings around town


What we’re reading

  • Earlier this week, we tweeted our own horn touting our President and co-founder Jay Donde’s write-up in City Journal about the ongoing moderation of San Francisco politics. There is still a lot of work to do, but progress is being made.

  • This week in “Water is Wet” news: according to a state audit, California spent billions on homelessness without tracking if it worked. The audit was requested by members of both parties and points to glaring failures of the state’s agencies tasked with monitoring the cost-effectiveness of such spending - particularly the California Interagency Council on Homelessness (Cal ICH). According to the report, “Cal ICH reported in 2023 financial information covering fiscal years 2018–19 through 2020–21 related to all state-funded homelessness programs, [but] it has not continued to track and report this data since that time, despite the significant amount of additional funding the State awarded to these efforts in the past two years.”

  • So you’re a homeowner in San Francisco and want to renovate your home? Welcome to Permit Hell, brought to you by City Hall. As part of a series called “San Francisco Permit Nightmares,” the Chronicle brings us this story of a couple that wanted to make changes to their home and thought they knew what to expect from the permitting process, given that they’ve lived here for years, and can read. Ah, hubris! 

  • Two months ago, California State Assemblywoman Kate Sanchez (R - Rancho Santa Margarita) introduced AB 2209, a bill that would have, at its core, removed “sanctuary state” protections for those in California convicted of felony fentanyl charges. You may remember that here in SF, Supervisor Matt Dorsey tried the same thing a year ago. Somewhat predictably, just like Dorsey’s proposal, Sanchez’s bill was killed in committee, and one of the nay votes came from our very own Assemblyman Phil Ting. Seriously, folks – we need to stop electing these people.

Quick Hits

Bill Jackson
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