San Francisco Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting – November 4, 2025
San Francisco Board of Supervisors Regular Meeting – November 4, 2025
On November 4, 2025, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met to consider a range of legislative items, including affordable housing funding, building code updates, and a widely discussed emergency appropriation to backfill CalFresh benefits due to the federal shutdown. The meeting included a 2:30 p.m. special order to honor community members and a 3:00 p.m. special order to address the CalFresh funding shortfall. All 11 supervisors were present for most votes, with a few notable dissents.
Consent Calendar
- Item 1 (Affordable Housing Appropriation): Ordinance to appropriate $5.8 million for affordable housing, placed on controller's reserve pending bond sale. Passed unanimously (10 ayes).
- Item 2 (Healthy Airport Ordinance Amendment): Revised health care requirements for airport workers, effective January 1, 2027. Passed on first reading without objection.
- Item 3 (Planning Code/Zoning Map Amendment): Consolidated North Beach districts and expanded allowable uses. Passed 8-2 (Supervisors Chan and Walton dissenting).
- Item 4 (Transitional Housing Program Funds): Authorized acceptance of $4.7 million for transitional housing and $600,000 for housing navigation for young adults. Unanimous.
- Item 5 (DFS Duty Free Lease Amendment): Approved temporary reduction in percentage rent and minimum annual guarantee for 2026–2029. Unanimous.
- Item 6 (Coach Overhaul Services Agreement): Approved $95.4 million contract with Complete Coach Works for up to 221 coaches. Unanimous.
- Item 7 (Observation Wheel Lease Renewal): Approved 18-month lease for Sky Star Wheel at Seawall Lot 301, with options to extend through April 2027. Unanimous.
- Items 8–13 (Various Ordinances): Passed on first reading without objection, covering medical cannabis dispensary conversions, zoning administrator appeal deadlines, ADU process modifications, contractor parking plan elimination, commemorative street plaque streamlining, and excavation insurance requirements.
- Items 14–20 (Building Code Updates): Seven ordinances repealing 2022 codes and enacting 2025 plumbing, mechanical, electrical, green building, existing building, and building codes, effective January 1, 2026. Passed unanimously.
- Item 21 (Artist Housing Certification): Amended to allow Arts Commission director to direct application process, add reconsideration process, and adjust sunset dates. Adopted amendments and passed on first reading without objection.
- Item 22 (Exemption for Health Service Contracts): Exempted life and long-term disability insurance contract from minimum compensation and health care accountability requirements. Passed 9 ayes (Supervisor Dorsey absent, Supervisor Fielder absent but recorded as aye).
- Item 23 (Appointment to Homelessness Oversight Commission): Motion to appoint Thomas James Roca. Approved 8-2 (Supervisors Fielder and Mahmood dissenting).
- Items 24–25 (Appointments to Homelessness Oversight Commission): Approved Obi Rambo and Dante Ball, both to serve terms ending May 1, 2027 and 2029 respectively. Unanimous.
- Item 29 (Planning Fee Amendment): Amended code to require fees at application submission and modify environmental review fees. Passed without objection.
- Item 30 (Appointment to Building Inspection Commission): Approved President Mandelman's nomination of Judy Lee. Unanimous.
- Items 33–36 (Adoption Without Committee Reference): Resolutions adopted unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Public Comment on Item 37 (Motion to Convene Committee of the Whole): No members of the public came forward to speak on this item.
- General Public Comment: Several speakers addressed non-agenda matters. One speaker urged the board to consider alternative bike lane routes on 7th Avenue in the Inner Sunset. Another requested support for small businesses along the Geary Corridor during a sewage project. A third speaker asked for a public hearing regarding alleged program mismanagement by the Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing. Additional speakers offered unrelated political and religious commentary.
Discussion Items
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Supervisor Introductions & Letters of Inquiry:
- Supervisor Chen introduced a letter of inquiry to the Department of Human Resources regarding policies for city employees who experience sexual assault or harassment in the workplace.
- Supervisor Dorsey announced a coordinated request to 41 city departments to estimate staff time and resources spent complying with the surveillance technology ordinance (Admin Code 19B) since 2019.
- Supervisor Fielder introduced a resolution (co-sponsored by Supervisors Chan, Chen, and Walton) calling on the state legislature and governor to grant local communities the authority to decide whether autonomous vehicles may operate on their roads.
- Supervisor Mahmood introduced a resolution reaffirming San Francisco's sanctuary city ordinance, stating that city resources will not be used to assist any federal agents (including National Guard) engaged in civil immigration enforcement.
- Supervisor Mandelman presented in-memoriams for Gary McLean (Empress Marlena) and Deanna Mooney.
- Supervisor Melgar (joined by Supervisor Walton) submitted a letter of inquiry to the Department of Public Health regarding birth outcome disparities and maternal health funding, noting that San Francisco has the highest preterm birth rate for certain populations and that millions in state funds may have been underspent.
- Supervisor Cheryl introduced an ordinance to amend the planning code to allow movie theaters to serve beer and wine as a minor and incidental use, removing the requirement that theaters derive 51% of gross receipts from food sales.
- Supervisor Walton formally requested a hearing on the U.S. Navy's delayed disclosure of airborne plutonium at Hunters Point Shipyard (detected November 2024, reported October 2025). He also requested letters of inquiry to multiple departments concerning the concentration of homeless services and RV storage in District 10, including the secret relocation of tiny cabins and a planned RV storage site at Pier 68.
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Commendations (2:30 p.m. Special Order):
- Supervisor Cheryl honored Cho Chang Yao Hoon on her 107th birthday, recognizing her family legacy.
- Supervisor Sauter commended District 3 neighborhood cleanup captains for their volunteer work, noting they collected thousands of bags of trash.
- Supervisor Mandelman recognized Douglas Jenkins, a U.S. Army veteran and community advocate in the Fillmore.
- Supervisor Dorsey honored Maria Tan (age 104) for her decades of volunteer service with Self-Help for the Elderly and her family dedication.
- Supervisor Walton celebrated Billy Katechi and Il Parada, a family-owned bar and restaurant in Potrero Hill that has served the community for 31 years.
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CalFresh Emergency Backfill (3:00 p.m. Special Order, Items 26, 27, 37):
- The board first approved a motion (Item 37) to convene as a committee of the whole at 3:00 p.m. for a public hearing on the CalFresh appropriation. The motion passed unanimously.
- Director Trent Rohr of the Human Services Agency presented the plan: $9.1 million from the city's state and federal revenue risk reserve, matched by $9.1 million from the Crankstart Foundation, for a total of $18.2 million. Due to the federal shutdown, 82,000 households (112,000 individuals) in San Francisco lost their November CalFresh benefits (average $275/household). The city's program provides virtual grocery cards (or physical cards on request) with tiered amounts: $200 for households of 1–2, $350 for 3–4, $500 for 5+. As of 11 a.m. that day, 153 recipients had activated their cards. Funds must be activated by December 31, 2025, and spent by March 31, 2026; unspent funds will be returned 50% to the city's general fund and 50% to Crankstart. The program is administered through the San Francisco-Marin Food Bank and vendor Good Card, with physical cards available starting November 6 at HSA offices. Director Rohr emphasized the rapid effort by multiple city departments over the prior week.
- Supervisor Sauter asked about unused funds and suggested citywide promotion. Supervisor Chen thanked the team. Supervisor Walton commended the quick action.
Key Outcomes
- Item 37: Motion to convene committee of the whole at 3:00 p.m. — Approved unanimously.
- Item 27 (CalFresh Backfill Ordinance): Passed on first reading (10 ayes) and forwarded to the special board meeting on November 10, 2025, for final approval.
- All other legislative items passed as described above, with recorded votes where applicable.
- The board adjourned in memory of Gary McLean (Empress Marlena), Deanna Mooney, and the cat Kit Kat.
Meeting Transcript
Good afternoon and welcome to the November 4th, 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, Chen present, Supervisor Dorsey. Dorsey present, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder present, Supervisor Mahmoud. Mahmoud 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, 10 members are present. Thank you, Madam Clerk. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors acknowledges that we are on the unceded ancestral homeland of the Ramatush Aloney, who are the original inhabitants of the San Francisco Peninsula. As the indigenous stewards of this land and in accordance with their traditions, the Ramatushalone 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? On behalf of this board, I want to acknowledge the staff at SFGov TV today. That is especially James Kawana. They record each of our meetings and make the transcripts available to the public online. Madam Clerk, do you have any communications? Thank you, Mr. President. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors welcomes you all to attend this meeting in person here in the board's legislative chamber. We're in room two fifty on the second floor in City Hall. When you cannot be here, we are showing or airing the proceedings live on SFGOV TV Channel 26, or you may view the live stream at www.sfgovtv.org. If you have public comment you'd like to submit in writing, you can either send an email to BOS at SFGov.org or via the U.S. Postal Service. Just address the envelope 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 need to make a future reasonable accommodation under the Americans with Disability Act or to request language assistance, please contact the clerk's office two business days in advance by calling 415 554 5184. Thank you, members. Thank you, Madam Clerk. Let's go to approval of our meeting minutes. Approval of the September 30th, 2025 Board Meeting Minutes. Can I have a motion to approve the minutes as presented, moved by Walton, seconded by Chen. Madam Clerk, will you please call the roll? On the minutes as presented, Supervisor Chan. Chan I, Supervisor Chen, Chen I, Supervisor Dorsey. Dorsey I, Supervisor Fielder, Fielder, I, Supervisor Mahmoud, Mahmoud I, Supervisor Mandelman. Aye. Mandelman I, Supervisor Melgar. Melgar, I, Supervisor Sauter. Sauter, I, Supervisor Cheryl, Cheryl, I, and Supervisor Walton. Walton, I.
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