San Francisco Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - April 22, 2025
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting - April 22, 2025
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors held its regular meeting on April 22, 2025, at 10:15 AM. The meeting included a consent agenda, new business, committee reports, roll call for introductions, a special order for commendations, and extensive public comment. Key actions included the passage of a housing element rezoning notice ordinance (8-3), approval of formula retail changes on Van Ness Avenue, adoption of multiple resolutions, and recognition of community leaders.
Consent Calendar
- Items 1 through 5, including planning code amendments for Production, Distribution, and Repair Districts, Mission Rock public works codes, and nonprofit reporting, were approved unanimously on a single roll call vote.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Multiple speakers from the Citywide HUD Alliance, including residents of Alice Griffith, Plaza East, Thomas Paine Square, and other HUD-subsidized properties, testified about deplorable living conditions: mold, pests, broken elevators, structural damage, and lack of accountability from management. They called for Mayor Lurie to visit the communities and for increased oversight. Many expressed frustration with unreturned calls from supervisors.
- Several speakers from the Arab Resource and Organizing Center (AROC) and community members thanked Supervisor Mahmoud for introducing the Arab American Heritage Month resolution and urged the board to stand against federal discrimination and hate violence.
- Home bridge caregivers from SEIU 2015 spoke in support of additional funding for the program, citing low wages, safety risks, and the need for better training and livable wages.
- Other speakers addressed unsolved homicides, surveillance technology, vacancy taxes, and the need for the city to address homelessness and addiction with harm reduction approaches.
Discussion Items
- Item 9 (Planning Code – Notice for Housing Element Rezoning): Ordinance requiring notice to property owners within 300 feet of rezoning sites. Debate centered on transparency versus potential alarm. Supervisor Chan, the sponsor, argued it empowers communities. Supervisors Dorsey and Melgar opposed, citing precedent and potential for unnecessary fear. The item was referred without recommendation from committee. Vote: 8-3 in favor (Chan, Chen, Engardio, Fielder, Mandelman, Sauter, Sherrill, Walton – yes; Dorsey, Mahmoud, Melgar – no). Passed on first reading.
- Item 12 (Planning Code – Removing Conditional Use for Formula Retail on Van Ness): Sponsored by Supervisor Sherrill, the ordinance aims to reduce commercial vacancies on Van Ness Avenue (53% vacancy rate) by eliminating conditional use requirements for formula retail. Supported by local business associations. Passed unanimously.
- Roll Call for Introductions: Supervisor Chen introduced a resolution recognizing May 10 as Transcontinental Chinese Railroad Workers’ Day. Supervisor Dorsey introduced a resolution of intent to create a downtown revitalization financing district for commercial-to-residential conversions, in partnership with Mayor Lurie and state legislation. Supervisor Mandelman introduced a resolution recognizing April 2025 as Earth Month. Supervisor Walton introduced the entitlement package for the ProLogis project at 749 Tolin Street in Bayview, which includes 2 million square feet of industrial space, $50 million in street upgrades, and community benefits.
Special Order – Commendations
- Supervisor Mahmoud honored Grace Horikiri, Executive Director of the Japantown Community Benefit District, for her leadership in community organizing, small business support, and cultural events.
- Supervisor Dorsey honored Majors Darren and Mary Norton of the Salvation Army for their service to the homeless and addicted, particularly through The Way Out program.
- Supervisor Melgar honored Her Church, a feminist Lutheran congregation, for its inclusive spiritual community and arts engagement.
- President Mandelman honored Franco Stevens, founder of Curve magazine and the Curve Foundation, for her contributions to lesbian visibility and LGBTQ+ media.
Key Outcomes
- Item 9 (Housing element rezoning notice) passed on first reading with an 8-3 vote.
- Item 10 (Content and data subscriptions ordinance) passed on first reading unanimously.
- Items 11 and 12 (Special Sign District and formula retail on Van Ness) passed on first reading unanimously.
- Items 15-17, 19, 20, 22-27 on the for-adoption calendar were adopted unanimously.
- Item 18 (Arab American Heritage Month resolution) was adopted unanimously after being severed for a separate vote.
- Item 21 (Affirming commitment to preserving BIPOC and LGBTQ+ history) was adopted unanimously after being severed.
- The meeting was adjourned in memory of Otis Winfield Jr., as requested by Supervisor Walton.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon. Welcome to the April 22nd, 2025 regular meeting of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? Thank you, Mr. President. Supervisor Chan. Chan present, Supervisor Chen. Chan present, Supervisor Dorsey. Dorsey present, Supervisor Engardio. Engario present, Supervisor Fielder. Fielder present, Supervisor Mahmoud. Mahu Mahmoud not present, Supervisor Mandelman. Present. Mandelman present, Supervisor Melgar. Melgar present, Supervisor Sauter. Sauter present, Supervisor Cheryl. Cheryl present, and Supervisor Walton. Walton present. Mr. President, you have a quorum. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatushalone, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatushaloni have never ceded, lost, nor forgotten their responsibilities as the caretakers of this place, as well as for all peoples who reside in their traditional territory. As guests, we recognize that we benefit from living and working on their traditional homeland. We wish to pay our respects by acknowledging the ancestors, elders, and relatives of the Ramatush Aloney community, and by affirming their sovereign rights as first peoples. Colleagues, will you join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance? I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. On behalf of the board, I would like to acknowledge the staff at SFGov TV today, particularly Colina Mendoza, who record each of our meetings and make the transcripts available to the public online. Madam Clerk, do you have any communications? Yes, thank you, Mr. President. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors welcomes you to attend this meeting in person in the board's legislative chamber within City Hall, second floor, room two fifty. Or if you can't make it to the chamber, you can watch the proceeding on SFGOV TV's Channel 26 or view the live stream at WWW.sfgovtv.org. If you have public comment you'd like to submit in writing, you can submit an email to BOS at SFgov.org or send it via the U.S. Postal Service to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, the number one, Dr. Carlton B. Goodlitt Place, City Hall, Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. If you would like to make a reasonable accommodation request under the Americans with Disability Act, or if you need to request language assistance, contact the clerk's office at least two business days in advance by calling 415 554 5184. Thank you, Mr. President. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's go to our approval of our meeting minutes. Approval of the March 18th, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes. All right. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? On the minutes, Supervisor Chen. Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey. Dorsey I, Supervisor Rengario. Engario I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder, I, Supervisor Mahmud, Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman. Aye.
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