The Weekly Digest (February 23, 2025)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Brionies! Here’s what you need to know about local politics this week and beyond:

San Francisco City Hall 

  • Monday, February 24 at 1:30pm: Regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee (agenda here):

    • Legislation Under the 30-Day Rule – Ordinance amending the Planning Code to allow chain stores to open on Van Ness Avenue between Broadway and Redwood Street. We have our eye on this measure, which is slowly inching its way through a gauntlet of committees. One might think that San Francisco would roll out the red carpet for any business willing to replace the bleak empty storefronts on Van Ness, but no. That would be too sensible. Too capitalist. In 2006, voters passed Proposition G, an anti-business measure which placed special restrictions on “formula retail,” any chain with 11 or more outlets. At the time, Supervisor Aaron Peskin said the measure would “give neighborhoods control over their own destiny and character, and stop San Francisco from becoming Anywhere, USA.” In practice, however, we ended up with the aforementioned empty storefronts, because the law is so burdensome that many businesses don’t want to deal with it. The proposed modification seems like a step in the right direction.

  • Tuesday, February 25 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda here):

    • Item 15 – Ordinance amending the Planning Code to exempt certain downtown commercial-to-residential conversion projects from development impact fees and requirements, such as the Affordable Housing Fee, Child Care Impact Fee, Downtown Park Fee, Public Art Fee, and School Impact Fee. Proponents argue that tax breaks and incentives are necessary to make residential conversions financially feasible, while opponents assert, “these conversion projects need to pay their fair share to create the infrastructure needed to match the increased needs from new residents.” We are more persuaded by this argument in favor: “if these fees stand, no conversions will take place, and no inclusionary units or impact fees will be generated … An inclusionary fee applied to 0 new units equates to 0 new inclusionary homes.” You can encourage the Supervisors to do the right thing by clicking here. 

    • Item 16 – Ordinance removing a mandate that existing buildings with a place of public accommodation must make all primary entries and paths of travel into the building accessible to persons with disabilities. San Francisco is the only jurisdiction in California that requires existing businesses to provide accessible entrances. Adding disability access can be prohibitively expensive for small businesses, particularly in historic neighborhoods, and businesses that do not comply are vulnerable to shake-down lawsuits.

    • Item 20 – Motion approving the Mayor’s nomination of Wilson Leung, former federal prosecutor, to the Police Commission.

    • Item 21 and 22 – Hearing and motion consenting/dissenting the Mayor’s removal of Max Carter-Oberstone from the Police Commission. Famously hostile to the police, Carter-Oberstone is the architect of the “pretext stop” policy that made it all but impossible for SFPD to make traffic stops.

  • Wednesday, February 26 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Budget & Finance Committee (agenda here):

    • Item 5 – Resolution approving an amended grant agreement to Brilliant Corners for housing subsidies not to exceed $59,542,690. The magnitude of this grant prompted us to peek at this organization’s website. Here’s what we learned: “Brilliant Corners’ supportive housing approach has proven that the cycle of homelessness and institutional involvement can end when housing and services come together. … Our approach is based on Housing First principles, person-centered planning, and community living in the least restrictive setting.” What we didn’t learn was anything about the organization's ability to responsibly steward a $59,542,690 grant, because the most recent tax return posted on the Brilliant Corners site dates back to 2019, and its latest financial statements are from 2019-2020. 

    • Item 12  – Resolution authorizing the Recreation and Park Department to enter into an agreement with BXP Embarcadero Plaza LP, the Downtown San Francisco Partnership, and the Office of Economic and Workforce Development regarding potential improvements and renovations at Embarcadero Plaza and Sue Bierman Park.

Happenings around town

  • Briones Society events

    • Briones Conversations: Debora Allen, BART Director 

      • Thursday, February 27 at 6pm, location provided upon RSVP

      • Join us for a stimulating conversation with Debora Allen, former chair of the Contra Costa Republican Party, who recently completed an 8-year term on the BART Board of Directors. During her tenure on the BART Board, Allen was often the sole voice advocating for fiscal responsibility, external auditing, and public safety. She was instrumental in the creation and development of an Inspector General’s Office at BART and the installation of fare-evasion measures at stations. Allen will provide a rare, insider’s perspective on the often dysfunctional wheelings-and-dealings at BART. Capacity for this event is limited — register soon!

  • Other events of interest

Action items

What we’re reading

Quick hits

Palate cleanser

This week in San Francisco history

  • On February 22, 1860, one of the earliest organized baseball games on record in the West, and the first ever in San Francisco, took place between the San Francisco Eagles and the San Francisco Red Rovers.



Bill Jackson
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