The Weekly Digest (March 17, 2024)

Happy Sunday, Brionies! 

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

City Hall

• Monday, March 18 at 1:30: Regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)

• Item 4 – Ordinance sponsored by Supervisor Preston to make it more difficult to open tobacco shops in the Tenderloin. Background here. 

• Item 6 – Ordinance providing for citywide expansion of allowable commercial, restaurant, and retail uses. 

• Tuesday, March 19 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda and call-in instructions here):

• Item 5 – Legislation to enhance the Legacy Business Assistance Program, which benefits businesses that have operated in San Francisco for more than 30 years. 

• Item 21 – Resolution setting forth an official Board of Supervisors policy to prioritize municipal affairs and local issues. Supervisor Engardio introduced this measure to pre-empt another fiasco like the Gaza ceasefire resolution.

• Thursday, March 21 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Government Oversight and Audit Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here):

• Item 6 – Hearing on a performance audit of San Francisco’s street teams. San Francisco has eleven street teams under the auspices of various departments. Troubling findings from this audit include: “Some of the City’s street teams do not consistently report performance metrics or achieve their established goals. We found that some street teams have no publicly reported performance metrics; some teams have stated goals and report performance metrics, but the metrics they report do not demonstrate success or progress at achieving their team goals; and some teams report metrics that do align with their goals, but have limited success in achieving those goals.” Moreover, the teams use “at least eight different data collection systems to manage and record street team encounters and client care, but are unable to easily share or link client and team activity data between departments or across teams.” 

Happenings around town

• San Francisco Police Department Station Captain’s Community Meetings

• Ingleside Station, Tuesday, March 19, 6-7pm

• Southern Station, Wednesday, March 20, 6-7pm

• Central Station, Thursday, March 21, 5-6pm

• Taraval Station, Thursday, March 21, 6-7pm

• Jonna Mendez: Unmasking My Life in the CIA

• Monday, March 18, 6pm, Commonwealth Club of California

• South Peninsula Area Republican Coalition: Republican Youth Panel - Next Generation Activists

• Wednesday, March 20, 6:30-8pm, location upon RSVP

• Stephen Martin-Pinto for District 7 Supervisor Campaign Event

• Thursday, March 21, 6:30pm, Spressa Cafe, 51 Cambon Drive

What we’re reading

• SF supervisor to hold hearing on homeless-shelter progress 

• Man who stabbed 94-year-old woman gets probation despite prosecutor's protests

• Key player in S.F. school board recall to jump into supervisor race for Tenderloin

• A Pattern: Police Commissioner and Public Defender Wife Help Hide Fleeing Man After He Torched Woman

• Meet the District 7 candidates: 'What will you do to curtail corruption?'

• California's High-Speed Rail Needs Another $100 Billion. That's a Great Reason Not To Build It.

• Capitalism—Now More Than Ever 

• Why This Berkeley Professor Is Sleeping in His Office