San Francisco Land Use & Transportation Committee Meeting – April 20, 2026

The Land Use and Transportation Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors met on April 20, 2026, at 9:45 AM, chaired by Supervisor Mirna Melgar, joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Cheyenne Chen and Supervisor Bilal Mahmud. The committee considered landmark designations, a resolution supporting state speed-limiter legislation, an EV charging ordinance, and a high-stakes ordinance implementing an alternative plan to SB 79 for transit-oriented development.

Landmark Designations (Items 1–15)

Supervisor Sauter introduced 15 resolutions to designate new historic landmarks in District 3, including the California Masonic Memorial Temple, the Transamerica Pyramid, Vesuvio Cafe, the Great China Theater, and others. Shannon Ferguson, Senior Preservation Planner, explained the phased Family Zoning Plan landmarking effort, noting that San Francisco currently has 320 individual landmarks and 14 Article 10 districts, with District 3 already containing 77 landmarks. The proposed properties are non-residential or single-family homes outside RH zones and have already been identified as Category A historic resources through prior surveys. Items 2 and 12 (Chinese Telephone Exchange Building and Mona's Candlelight) were continued to the call of the chair to allow more owner engagement. The remaining 13 items were recommended to the full Board of Supervisors with a positive recommendation via a 3–0 vote (Chen aye, Mahmoud aye, Melgar aye).

Support for Assembly Bill 2276 (Item 16)

Supervisor Sauter presented a resolution supporting California Assembly Bill 2276, the Stop Super Speeders Act, which would establish a pilot program requiring severe speeders (e.g., those driving >100 mph or engaging in contests) to install active intelligence speed assistance (ISA) devices that prevent exceeding the speed limit. Supervisor Sauter noted that a New York City pilot showed a 64% reduction in time spent speeding, and that eight pedestrian fatalities had occurred in San Francisco in the first four months of 2026. She introduced amendments to include San Francisco in the pilot program after the bill’s author indicated they would add the city. Supervisor Mahmoud moved to adopt the amendments and recommend the resolution as amended to the full board. The motion passed 3–0.

Curbside EV Charging Permit Program (Item 17)

The committee considered an ordinance authorizing the SFMTA to establish a curbside electric vehicle charging station permit program, removing the requirement for a separate sidewalk encroachment permit from the Department of Public Works. No public comment was offered. The committee voted 3–0 to recommend the ordinance to the full board.

SB 79 Alternative Plan for Transit-Oriented Development (Item 18)

This ordinance, continued from the previous week, implements an alternative plan to California Senate Bill 79, which requires jurisdictions to allow residential uses near transit stops. The planning department’s proposal permanently exempts industrial employment hubs (zones M, SALI, PDR, WMUO, and P) and adopts an alternative plan providing equivalent development capacity. Supervisor Matt Dorsey (District 6) proposed an amendment to change the permanent exemption to a temporary exemption sunnseting in either 2028 or 2032, arguing that the city should not forever exclude transit-oriented development from industrial areas and that a sunset would force future accountability.

Public comment was extensive and divided:

• Supporters of the amendment (including Griffin Lee from Connected SF, several West Soma residents, and the SOMA West Neighborhood Association) argued that the permanent exemption blocks urgently needed housing in transit-rich neighborhoods like SOMA, perpetuates economic stagnation, and violates state fair housing laws. They urged a 2028 sunset at the latest, calling the permanent exemption a “containment zone.”
• Opponents of the amendment (including Anna Herrera from District 9 Supervisor Fielder’s office, YCD, SOMA Pilipinas, United to Save the Mission, and the Potrero Boosters Neighborhood Association) stressed that these industrial hubs provide high-paying blue-collar jobs for low-income and minority communities without college degrees. They noted that communities of color in the Eastern neighborhoods have already absorbed over 80% of new housing production in two decades, and that removing protections would accelerate displacement and job loss. They called for preserving the permanent exemption, emphasizing that any rezoning should result from a robust, community-led planning process rather than a blunt sunset.

During committee debate, Supervisor Mahmoud supported the amendment, arguing a 2028 sunset would align with the housing element’s production targets and force the city to find alternatives. Chair Melgar and Vice Chair Chen opposed the amendment. Chair Melgar stressed that permanent prohibitions are poor planning and that a thoughtful, inclusive process is needed; she noted that the Eastern Neighborhoods Plan 25 years ago involved extensive community input and that the current proposal had not been similarly vetted. Vice Chair Chen emphasized the importance of protecting PDR jobs and working-class families, and noted that SB 79 itself allows for permanent exemptions.

The vote on Supervisor Dorsey’s amendment failed 1–2 (Mahmoud aye, Chen no, Melgar no). The committee then adopted minor, non-substantive amendments from planning staff (to allow table updates as transit station data is refined) and voted 3–0 to recommend the ordinance as amended to the full board.

Key Outcomes

• Items 2 and 12 were continued to the call of the chair.
• Items 1, 3–11, 13–15 were recommended to the full board with a positive recommendation (13 landmark resolutions).
• Resolution supporting AB 2276 was amended to include San Francisco and recommended to the full board (3–0).
• Ordinance authorizing curbside EV charging permits was recommended to the full board (3–0).
• Ordinance implementing the SB 79 alternative plan was amended with minor planning staff corrections, but the Dorsey amendment to sunset the industrial hub exemption was rejected (1–2). The amended ordinance was recommended to the full board (3–0).