The Weekly Digest (July 27, 2025)

Written By Bill Jackson

Happy Sunday, Brionies! Here’s what you need to know about local politics this week and beyond:

San Francisco City Hall

  • Monday, July 28 at 1:30pm: Regular meeting of the Land Use and Transportation Committee (agenda here):

    • Item 2: Ordinance requiring anyone applying for development permits to disclose and allow investigation of unauthorized and rent-controlled dwelling units on their property. It also strengthens the City’s oversight to prevent the loss of such units and to address fraud or misrepresentation in the permitting process.

    • Item 5: Ordinance to ban automated rent setting, which would prohibit landlords and property managers from using algorithm-based software to set rents or manage occupancy. The lefties on the Board have found a new capitalist bogeyman to blame for the high cost of rent in SF: AI software. We are inclined to agree with the American Consumer Institute that governmental interventions like exclusionary land-use requirements, building fees, environmental restrictions, and arbitrary permit processes play a far bigger role in setting rents.

  • Tuesday, July 29 at 2pm — Regular meeting of the Board of Supervisors (agenda here):

    • Item 1: Ordinance to approve the purchase of a 40-bed assisted living facility at 601-617 Laguna Street for low-income seniors and adults with disabilities. The proposed purchase and improvement cost is $20,000,000, or $500,000 per bed. Yearly operating costs are estimated to be $90,000 per person.

    • Item 31: A revamped version of Supervisor Bilal Mahmood’s bid for so-called “shelter equity,” which would spread the burden of homeless services across all districts. The original version of Mahmood’s plan would have required each supervisorial district to approve at least one new shelter within a year, but the rewrite replaces that mandate with a “fair share” rule that prohibits new shelters in neighborhoods where the number of shelter beds exceeds the neighborhood’s share of the City’s unsheltered population. Notably, there is an out: Supervisors can waive the rule by formal resolution if a proposed project is in the public interest (i.e., whenever they want). 

    • Items 33-36: Funding for programs that help older adults and people with disabilities. Item 33 updates the City’s agreement with San Francisco Health Plan for enhanced care management, bringing in nearly $4 million through 2028. Item 34 adds $14.3 million and expands the Institute on Aging’s Community Living Fund Program to a total of $25.7 million, helping seniors remain in their communities. Items 35 and 36 approve new four-year grants to Self-Help for the Elderly, including $11 million for group meal programs and nearly $14 million for meal delivery to homebound seniors.

Happenings around town

We’re hiring!

  • Are you or someone you know eager to advance a solutions-oriented conservative movement in America’s cities? The Briones Society is looking for a Content and Operations Manager to write for the Digest, lead Briones operations, and help build a vibrant volunteer network. Please see the job description and application here. Feel free to reach out to diana@brionessociety.org for more information.

Calls to action

  • The Engardio recall election is coming up on September 16. To donate or to volunteer, visit the recall campaign’s website.

  • Tell your legislators to vote NO on AB 699, a bill that would make it easier to hide key tax information from voters. Keep tax decisions transparent — sign the petition here.

What we’re reading

  • San Francisco reached a $2.8 million legal settlement with the Coalition on Homelessness this week over the City’s practices of clearing homeless encampments. Most of the money will cover attorney’s fees, but the two named plaintiffs will each receive $11,000. The Coalition alleged that San Francisco conducted routine “sweeps” or “encampment resolutions” without adequate notice, destroying or disposing of unhoused persons’ belongings in violation of their constitutional rights. The City admitted no fault in the settlement, but pledged to do a better job of following its own policies around advance notice and “bagging and tagging” non-abandoned property. As much as we hate to see $2.8 million of SF taxpayer money handed over to the COH, the tab would have been bigger if the U.S. Supreme Court hadn’t ruled, in Grant’s Pass v. Johnson, that the Eighth Amendment does not prohibit a city from enforcing anti-camping ordinances (high five, Justice Gorsuch!) City officials celebrated the settlement as an opportunity to “move forward” and focus on solutions for homelessness.

  • The proud legacy of Golden Gate Park as a place where everyone—regardless of income—could access recreation, nature, and community events is starting to fade as a new “tax on fun” rolls out. Soon, activities like playing tennis, having a picnic, and even parking in the park will come with added fees. The recent hearing about the disgraced Parks Alliance, and the possibility that MTA and SF Rec & Park inflated the number of pedestrians and bicyclists on the controversial Sunset Dunes/Upper Great Highway only add to the disillusionment. ConnectedSF has a petition to reverse the added park fees here.

Quick hits

Palate cleanser

This week in San Francisco history

  • In July 1964, over 35,000 people marched down Market Street to City Hall in what became the largest civil rights demonstration in San Francisco. The protesters were driven by opposition to Proposition 14, which would have allowed landlords to discriminate on ethnic grounds. This historic event highlighted San Francisco’s critical role in the national civil rights movement and embodied the city’s spirit of activism during that era.

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Bill Jackson
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The Weekly Digest (July 20, 2025)