The Weekly Digest (March 31, 2024)
Happy Easter, Brionies!
With a storied history that includes the founding of Mission Dolores, Mount Davidson’s cross, Grace Cathedral, Glide Memorial, and hundreds of churches large and small, the city of Saint Francis is home to many Christians for whom Easter is a sacred day. If you celebrate, we send you Easter blessings and hope you have a relaxing, peaceful, and reflective holiday.
Here’s what you need to know about San Francisco politics this week and beyond:
City Hall
Tuesday, April 2 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda and call-in instructions here)
Item 11 – Ordinance approving a $444,925.88 refund to the McKesson Corporation for homelessness gross receipts taxes. McKesson, the nation’s largest pharmaceutical distributor, was headquartered in San Francisco before it moved to Dallas, a city that does not penalize companies with over $50 million in gross receipts.
Item 32 – Ordinance appropriating $500,000 of General Fund Reserves to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission for independent analysis and research on sea level rise and groundwater impacts in the Hunters Point Shipyard. More background here and here.
Item 48 – Resolution initiating a landmark designation of Gilbert Baker’s Rainbow Flag installation at Harvey Milk Plaza.
Items 49 – Resolution calling for the Housing Authority to fully leverage the “Faircloth-to-RAD” option provided by the federal government to create up to 3,668 new deeply affordable rental units with a permanent federal subsidy.
Proposed Resolution 240287 – Resolution retroactively approving an amendment to an agreement with the University of California for behavioral health services, increasing the agreement by $84,121,542 for an amount not to exceed $133,397,493.
Thursday, April 4 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)
Item 2 – Ordinance to require owners of multifamily residential buildings to provide notice to the city and qualified nonprofit organizations of foreclosure proceedings and add a deed in lieu of foreclosure in the definition of a “Sale of a Multi-Family Residential Building” as a type of transfer that requires notice to qualified nonprofit organizations, right of first offer, and right of first refusal for a multifamily residential building.
Happenings around town
San Francisco Police Department Station Captain’s Community Meetings
Bayview Station, Tuesday, April 2 at 5-6pm
SFO Community Roundtable (new addition - this body seeks to reduce aircraft noise)
Wednesday, April 3 at 7pm, online
Friday, April 5, 1:35pm, Oracle Park
What we’re reading
We are sometimes asked at the Briones Society what sets us apart from “moderate” San Francisco groups. For one thing, we believe that tolerance includes respect for other religious traditions, and thus we will not be advertising the “Hunky Jesus” event at Dolores Park today. Imagine any other religion being mocked on one of its holiest days? You can’t. At least the White House will honor Easter Sunday, right? Wrong.
Dozens of anti-Israel protestors disrupted a commemoration ceremony on Friday for the U.S. Navy Ship Harvey Milk, the first U.S. ship to be named for an openly gay person. According to the Chronicle, nine protestors ran to the ship, chained themselves to the gangplank, and had to be removed by police officers. Mayor Breed and Nancy Pelosi both attended the ceremony, but neither leader has said a peep to criticize the lawless activities of these protestors.
40 years ago, gay Republicans shaped San Francisco. How the city's GOP can do the same today
Susan Dyer Reynolds rarely misses. Read her election recap and advice to progressives.
District 7 Supervisor candidate Stephen Martin-Pinto’s take on SFMTA & its colossal failures
Whistleblower alleges Governor Newsom pressured him to withhold oil permits
American hero Jonathan Diller was laid to rest this week. The 31-year-old NYPD officer, father, and husband was shot dead during a routine traffic stop by a career criminal with 21 prior arrests. Former President Trump honored Officer Diller’s memory by attending his wake, while President Biden yukked it up at a $1,000 per ticket fundraiser with Lizzo.
Palate cleanser
We hope you had a chance to see the cross lit up at Mount Davidson last night! Did you know that in 1991, the ACLU sued to have the cross removed? Eventually, the courts ordered San Francisco to tear down the cross or sell it to a private entity. In 1997, a coalition of Armenian-American organizations outbid other groups to purchase the cross, and in 1997 the sale was approved by 86% of the voters.