The Weekly Digest (October 8, 2023)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Brionies!

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

City Hall

  • There is no regular meeting of the full Board of Supervisors this week, because of Italian American Heritage Day and Indigenous Peoples Day. 

  • Tuesday, October 10 at 9:30am: Regular meeting of the Assessment Appeals Board 1 (agenda and call-in instructions here)

    • Agenda Items 5-8 – We don’t often call your attention to the Assessment Appeals Board, which oversees disputes between property owners and the tax collector’s office, but this week’s agenda jumped out at us. The owners of Stonestown Shopping Center are claiming that their property has dropped 50% in value. Specifically, Stonestown’s owners claim that a parcel previously assessed at $329,781,504 is now worth $164,891,000, and another assessed at $69,453,492 is currently worth $34,718,000. As the supervisors consider various spending measures this week, we ask them to bear in mind that the tax revenue from $164,891,000 < $329,781,504. The gravy train is over.  

  • Wednesday, October 11 at 9:30am: Regular meeting of the Budget and Finance Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)

    • Agenda Item 2 – Ordinance amending the Business and Tax Regulations Code to add provisions to administer the Empty Homes Tax. This tax, a brainchild of Dean Preston and his comrades in the Democratic Socialists of America, was narrowly approved by voters in November 2022 and is set to kick in on January 1. It is being challenged in court for, among other reasons, violating the Takings Clause of the Fifth Amendment. 

  • Thursday, October 12 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)

    • Agenda Item 2 – Hearing on how to improve law enforcement data dashboards.

  • Friday, October 13 at 10am: Regular meeting of the Homelessness and Behavioral Health Select Committee (agenda and call-in instructions here)

    • Agenda Item 2 – Resolution approving an amendment to the grant between Episcopal Community Services (“ECS”) and the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing (“HSH”) at the Cova Non-Congregate Shelter for ten months at an amount not to exceed $15,091,353 (an increase of $5,150,857). The Cova Hotel at 655 Ellis Street was one of 25 sites operated as a Shelter-in-Place Hotel during Covid-19 lockdowns. The shelter was established with emergency federal funding, but if approved, 75% of the new funding will come from the City’s general fund and 25% from the state. We note that an April 2023 inspection by HSH found the following shortcomings at this site: “Per contract requirements, wellness checks are required to occur twice daily. However, records indicated they were only occurring once daily. Additionally, no action was taken and a room was left vacant when a client was absent for more than ten days. Also, room inspection logs lacked follow-up notes or action plans in instances when rooms did not pass inspection.”

    • Agenda Item 3 – Resolution approving an amendment to a grant between ECS and HSH for property management and supportive services at the Henry Hotel, a permanent supportive housing site, by extending the grant term by 20 months and increasing the agreement amount by $4,853,433 for a total amount not to exceed $14,591,945. 

    • Agenda Item 4 – Resolution approving an amendment to a grant between ECS and HSH for property management and supportive services at five permanent supportive housing buildings, extending the grant term by 16 months and increasing the agreement amount by $20,829,789 to a total amount not to exceed $47,159,399.

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