The Weekly Digest (October 20, 2024)
Happy Sunday, Brionies!
Here’s what you need to know about local politics this week and beyond:
San Francisco City Hall
Tuesday, October 22 at 2pm: Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda here):
Item 6 – Resolution approving the purchase of 94 hybrid electric buses for $117,751,398 as part of efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and improve air quality. Including “other associated costs,” the total price for the buses will be $147,423,260.
Item 11 – Ordinance to recommend the installation of mosaic tiles on the stairs located at Vicha Ratanapakdee Way in the Anza Vista neighborhood. “Uncle Vicha” was an 84-year-old immigrant from Thailand who was killed in an unprovoked attack in 2021. His death highlighted a surge in anti-Asian violence and became a rallying point for justice and awareness for the Asian-American and Pacific Islander communities.
Items 22-23 – Public hearing to consider amendments to the Bayview Hunters Point and Hunters Point Shipyard redevelopment plans. The amendments focus on transferring development space between two areas and extending the project timelines. Both projects will create more affordable housing, improve infrastructure, and revitalize commercial spaces, including parks and open spaces.
Wednesday, October 23 at 9am: Regular meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee (agenda here):
Item 4 – Resolution approving a grant application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development for $61,122,075 to fund 1,552 units of permanent supportive housing, 658 slots of rapid rehousing, and 195 units of new permanent supportive housing.
Happenings around town
Thursday, October 24, 5-5:30pm
What is the Briones Society? What is our mission and what are our core principles? How can you get involved? And where the heck does the name “Briones” come from? Join us for a half-hour Zoom meeting to learn the answers to these questions and more. We look forward to meeting you!
Richmond District, Tuesday, October 22, 5-6pm
Park District, Wednesday, October 23, 6:30-7:30pm
Tuesday, October 22, 7:30-8:30pm, Manny’s
Wednesday, October 23, 6pm, the Commonwealth Club
What we’re reading
On the hornets’-nest-of-conflicts front, the ethical troubles surrounding Mayor Breed’s Dream Keeper Initiative keep snowballing (see our September 29 Briones Digest for more). This week, Susan Dyer Reynolds looked into a $200,000 Dream Keeper grant to Alicia Mayo, who used the money to create promotional videos for Supervisor Shamann Walton's book and campaign videos for Breed, and encouraged others to “tap into the San Francisco Dream Keeper dollars.” On a related note, the San Francisco Standard asked each mayoral candidate how they would address SF’s long history of corruption.
The Board of Supervisors got it right! In a good-news follow up to our October 6 Digest about a proposed ordinance against dangerous vehicle sideshows, we are happy to report that it passed unanimously. The new law will crack down on organizers, promoters, bystanders, and participants in sideshows. It also upgrades certain offenses to misdemeanors and allows police to impound – and sometimes sell – cars used in these gatherings.
SFUSD Superintendent Matt Wayne resigned this week amid widespread criticism over his handling of school closures. The district's controversial closure and merger plan faced backlash from parents, city officials, and the school board for its lack of transparency and poor communication. Following Wayne’s resignation, Maria Su, head of San Francisco's Department of Children, Youth and Their Families, was named as the new superintendent.
According to a must-read report in the Free Press, the Biden administration’s border policies have led to an explosion of illegal immigration and forced prostitution of migrants, many of them young teens. This SF Standard article about sex trafficking in San Francisco further demonstrates the extent of the issue.
San Francisco is challenging the EPA in the Supreme Court over penalties for ocean pollution under the Clean Water Act. The EPA blames the city for stormwater and sewage overflows polluting the Pacific Ocean, but San Francisco claims that vague permit rules make compliance difficult. San Francisco is somewhat of an expert in specific rulemaking, as anyone who has received a parking ticket for failing to curb their wheels on a street grade of 3% or more can attest.
Quick hits
What salary do you need to make to live in SF? It’s worse than you think.
Is City College padding its rainy-day fund with money it can’t spend?
El Faro is closing its doors after three consecutive break-ins.
Palate cleanser