The GrowSF Report: Mayor Breed's big week
What You Need To Know
Here’s what happened around the city for the week of July 18th, 2022:
- Come to GrowSF’s summer picnic tomorrow, Sunday July 24th
- Mayor Breed defends D.A. Jenkins
- Mayor Breed vetoes anti-housing bill
- San Francisco to expand homeless shelter program
- A plan to revitalize downtown
- The Central Subway is delayed (again)
Come to GrowSF’s summer picnic tomorrow, Sunday July 24th
Join GrowSF at our summer picnic at Dolores Park tomorrow, Sunday July 24th!
We’re meeting up at the picnic tables in front of the Miguel Hidalgo statue from 11am to 3pm. Kids and dogs welcome!
Make sure to take transit, bike, or walk, since some local streets will be closed for the San Francisco Marathon. GrowSF will provide drinks and pizza.
Mayor Breed defends D.A. Jenkins
San Francisco’s new District Attorney Brooke Jenkins has received some negative press in the first days of her tenure, including from The Daily Beast, SF Chronicle, and The Intercept. DA Jenkins’ mission to address drug use and rampant crime in San Francisco has led to opponents accusing her of criminalizing poverty and being a puppet for right-wing forces.
Mayor London Breed voiced her support for DA Jenkins in an interview with the SF Standard, stating:
We need to stop trying to take African American women in this city and associating them with being somebody’s puppet or slave.
We agree, Mayor Breed. DA Jenkins will bring competence and accountability to the office while ensuring people are treated fairly and respectfully.
Mayor Breed vetoes anti-housing bill
On Thursday, Mayor Breed vetoed Supervisor Rafael Mandelman’s bill which would have made new fourplexes impossible to build, in violation of state housing law. California’s Department of Housing and Community Development issued a statement thanking Mayor Breed for her veto:
Today, the California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) acknowledged and applauded a critical veto by San Francisco Mayor London Breed of a local ordinance that attempts to bypass state housing laws. Specifically, the fourplex ordinance evades the City’s obligations under SB 9 to provide ministerial approval for small-scale projects. Moreover, the ordinance would maintain the existing discretionary approval process and impose more onerous conditions and requirements when compared to SB 9. Taken together, these regulatory hurdles will render such projects financially infeasible to pursue, as the City’s own analysis acknowledged.
GrowSF thanks Mayor Breed for holding the San Francisco Board of Supervisors accountable and ensuring we can build a better future. Her veto saved the city from litigation and potentially millions of dollars in fines. San Francisco must allow more homes to be built, and we can only do that by following the law.
San Francisco to expand homeless shelter program
Mayor Breed laid out the city’s achievements in combating homelessness, and what she hopes to have her administration do in the near future.
In July 2020, we set a goal of adding 1,500 new units of permanent supportive housing over two years. We dramatically exceeded that goal by securing 3,000 new units, which are in various stages of leasing up now.
After so many struggles these past two years, it’s great to see us make real progress.
A plan to revitalize downtown
With high housing prices and the rise of remote work during the pandemic, many former San Franciscans took the opportunity to leave for cheaper parts of the country. SF as a whole has not recovered as quickly from the pandemic as other cities, and the downtown core has remained especially resistant to recovery.
A nonprofit business group has created an action plan with six categories of alterations and improvements, all of which are designed to reimagine the core and draw more traffic and attention to the area. The goal is to “reclaim spaces” for pedestrians, and to create places for people to congregate and mingle. While more critical improvements, like better public transportation, remain outside of the scope of the plan, it is an important step forward in revitalizing our city.
The Central Subway is delayed (again)
Four years behind schedule, what’s two months more? The much-anticipated Central Subway has been delayed yet again due to damage from a minor fire. The new opening date is some time this Fall.
The Central Subway project dates back well over a decade, with voters approving the project back in 2003, and construction beginning in 2010. The line was originally scheduled to open in late 2018.
When completed, the 1.7-mile subway line will connect 4th and Brannan (near the Caltrain station) with Chinatown. There will be two stops in between at Yerba Buena/Moscone Center and Union Square.
Celebrate San Francisco
There’s a lot to love about our city. Here’s what makes it great:
San Francisco Shines With New Museums, Restaurants and Parks
The New York Times showed San Francisco some well-deserved love this week, with an article featuring the city’s flourishing public spaces, vibrant residential neighborhoods and exciting concerts and public events. And no paean to San Francisco is complete without a mention of the always incredible culinary scene. Check it out, and get inspired for your next staycation!
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Topical Tweets
Yes, there is good stuff on Twitter. Here’s some of it:
The view of the fog and the Golden Gate Bridge from the new Tunnel Top Park is stunning:
State Senator Scott Wiener has a warning for San Francisco’s housing practices:
Bay Area Assemblymember Buffy Wicks celebrated Governor Newsom signing her YIGBY (Yes In God’s Back Yard) measure into law:
