OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting – October 27, 2025

Rules Committee — Monday, October 27, 2025
BodySan Francisco, California
SessionRules Committee
DateMonday, October 27, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:29:26
Transcript — Verbatim
0:00

Meeting will come.

0:01

Let's just give it one quick moment until we have our picture this of the room.

0:06

There we go.

0:06

Thank you.

0:08

Meeting will come to order.

0:10

This is the October 27th, 2025 Rules Committee.

0:14

I am Supervisor Cheryl, Vice Chair of the Rules Committee.

0:17

And this morning I'm joined by President Mandelman and Supervisor Dorsey, who's sitting in this committee in place of Chair Walton.

0:25

Our clerk is Victor Young.

0:27

And I'd like to thank Jeanette Engeloff from SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting.

0:32

Mr.

0:33

Clerk, do you have any announcements?

0:35

Uh yes, please.

0:36

Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda.

0:39

When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on your right.

0:44

Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing either of the following ways.

0:48

Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at B I C T O R.yo U N G at SFgov.org.

0:55

If you submit public comment via email, it would be included as part of the file.

1:00

You may also send your written comments via US mail to our office in City Hall.

1:03

One Dr.

1:04

Carlton be good at place.

1:06

Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102.

1:10

Please make sure the silence all sale phones and electronic type devices.

1:15

Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of November 4th, 2025, unless otherwise stated.

1:23

That completes my initial announcements.

1:27

Thank you.

1:28

Um I'd like to make a motion to excuse Supervisor Walton.

1:32

Uh Mr.

1:32

Clerk, will you please call the role?

1:36

Yes, on the motion to excuse Supervisor Walton from today's meeting.

1:40

Member Dorsey.

1:42

Dorsey Aye.

1:43

Member Manelman.

1:44

Aye.

1:45

Madaman aye.

1:46

Vice Chair Sherrill.

1:47

Aye.

1:48

Oh aye.

1:49

That motion passes without objection.

1:51

Motion passes.

1:52

With that, Mr.

1:53

Clerk, please call item number one.

1:56

Yes, item number one.

1:58

Is the ordinance amending the administrative code to require the arts commission to develop and administer a certification process to identify artists in San Francisco who may be eligible for affordable housing for artists.

2:17

Good to see you, Supervisor Dorsey.

2:19

Thanks for joining us this morning.

2:21

Colleagues, the ordinance before you would establish an artist housing certification program.

2:27

As you may be aware, a recent hundred million dollar private gift is helping fund the development of the 1687 Market Street project, which will provide more than 90 affordable apartments and creative spaces for artists, including rehearsal spaces and a black box theater.

2:41

The development of this project has highlighted the need for a formal process by which to identify artists who may qualify for this housing, or what we what we hope will be more future affordable artist housing developments.

2:53

The Artist Housing Certification Program will meet that need for 1687 Market and other similar projects, requiring the Arts Commission to establish and maintain a registry of artists who would qualify for such housing.

3:05

I do have some amendments to propose today based on discussions we've had with the Arts Commission and Mercy Housing, which we have worked closely with on this legislation.

3:18

Amendments were circulated last week and I've given out hard copies.

3:22

Generally, these amendments would uh strike some lines from the legislative findings for clarity as recommended by our deputy city attorneys.

3:30

They would remove a section that regulates how the arts commission can enter into contracts and set fees.

3:35

Uh and instead, the arts commission would confer internally and come back to the board with proposed fees.

3:40

Uh the amendments would add language to grant the arts commission more flexibility to expand the type of arts and artists that can qualify the pro for the program.

3:49

That's because as new mediums and forms of expression arise, we want to have the flexibility to include more artists.

3:56

Uh and finally, uh the amendments would add an operative date to allow for the 1687 Market Street project to use this program.

4:03

Um the amendments I understand are not substantive.

4:07

Um so if that's confirmed, if that's the case, I'd ask that uh we can we adopt these amendments today and forward the item to the full board with positive recommendation.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Homelessness█████████████████████████████████████████████50%
Affordable Housing███████████████████████26%
Immigration Policy███████████12%
Personnel Matters████████9%
Procedural██2%
Community Engagement█1%
Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting – October 27, 2025

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee, chaired by Vice Chair Supervisor Cheryl and joined by President Mandelman and Supervisor Dorsey (sitting in for Chair Walton), met on October 27, 2025, beginning at approximately 6:15 PM. The committee considered four legislative items and two mayoral nominations, all of which were advanced to the full Board. Key actions included creating an artist housing certification program, exempting a health insurance contract from city labor ordinances, and appointing members to the Immigrant Rights and Homelessness Oversight commissions.

Discussion Items

  • Artist Housing Certification Program (Item 1): President Mandelman introduced an ordinance requiring the Arts Commission to develop and administer a certification process for identifying artists eligible for affordable housing, spurred by the 1687 Market Street project – a 94-unit affordable artist housing development funded partly by a $100 million private gift. Amendments (circulated in advance) were adopted to clarify findings, allow flexibility for new art forms, and set an operative date for the 1687 project. Public testimony strongly supported the legislation, with speakers including Marcus Shelby (Arts Commissioner), Valerie Santagat (Artistic Director, San Francisco Girls Chorus), Carolyn Choi (CAST), Raimi Dare (Mercy Housing), and Randall Kline (Artist Hub on Market). All emphasized the need to retain working artists in San Francisco. The motion to forward the amended ordinance to the full Board with positive recommendation passed unanimously (3-0).

  • Health Service System Insurance Contract Exemption (Item 2): Supervisor Dorsey presented an ordinance exempting the San Francisco Health Service System’s life and long-term disability insurance contract with New York Life from Articles 111 (Minimum Compensation Ordinance) and 121 (Health Care Accountability Ordinance) of the Labor and Employment Code. Michael Visconti, Contracts Administration Manager, explained that while New York Life offered a five-year fixed rate saving the city $1.97 million annually, the company could not document compliance with the ordinances due to its size (23,000 employees). The exemption is narrowly tailored to this contract and preserves continuity of employee benefits from January 2026. No public comment was heard. The motion to recommend approval passed unanimously.

  • Appointment to Immigrant Rights Commission (Item 3): The committee considered two candidates for Seat One (term ending June 6, 2026): Jesse Ruiz Navarro (incumbent, a Latina transgender woman from Mexico and asylum recipient) and Samim Sheikh (community organizer). Public comment from Sarah Souza (IRC Chair) supported Ruiz Navarro, highlighting her lived experience and advocacy for transgender and asylum-seeking communities. President Mandelman moved to recommend Ruiz Navarro, citing her current service, San Francisco residency, and the need for transgender and Latin American representation amid federal oppression. The motion passed unanimously.

  • Appointment to Homelessness Oversight Commission – Seat Six (Item 4): Four applicants were heard for Seat Six (reserved for a person with significant homeless advocacy experience): Erica Mosley (lived-experience advocate, author), Ray Emanuel Javier (housing coordinator), Thomas James Rocca (real estate developer with lived experience of homelessness and recovery), and Vanilla Ramos Castro (family case worker). During public comment, Sharky Laguana (current HOC member) and Kristen Evans (former commissioner) stressed the seat’s criteria and the importance of female representation, while several speakers supported Rocca for his housing finance expertise and commitment to sober living environments. Supervisor Dorsey noted the need for housing development and recovery housing expertise, and President Mandelman emphasized accountability and a shift toward getting people sober and working. The committee voted unanimously to recommend Thomas James Rocca.

  • Mayoral Nominations to Homelessness Oversight Commission (Items 5 & 6): The committee considered two mayoral nominees: Obai Rambo (fourth-generation San Franciscan with legislative experience, including work for Supervisor Maher and Senator Harris) for a term ending May 1, 2027, and Dantanya Ball (Bayview small business owner and president of the Bayview Merchants Association) for a term ending May 1, 2029. Public comment strongly supported both, with speakers citing Rambo’s data-driven approach and Ball’s empathy, accountability, and merchant association perspective. Supervisor Dorsey motioned to approve both nominations, which passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Item 1 (Artist Housing): Seven speakers spoke in favor, including arts leaders and housing developers. All emphasized the importance of retaining artists in San Francisco and praised the certification program as a step toward reversing artist displacement.
  • Item 2 (Insurance Exemption): No public comment.
  • Item 3 (IRC Appointment): One speaker (Sarah Souza) urged reappointment of Jesse Ruiz Navarro, citing her intersectional advocacy.
  • Item 4 (HOC Seat Six): Four speakers, including Sharky Laguana and Kristen Evans, spoke in support of various candidates. Evans specifically urged the committee to consider female representation and frontline expertise.
  • Items 5 & 6 (Mayoral Nominations): Eight speakers testified in favor of one or both nominees, highlighting their community involvement and relevant experience.

Key Outcomes

  • Ordinance on Artist Housing Certification: Adopted amendments and forwarded to full Board (3-0).
  • Insurance Contract Exemption: Approved for full Board recommendation (3-0).
  • Appointment to Immigrant Rights Commission: Jesse Ruiz Navarro recommended for reappointment (3-0).
  • Appointment to Homelessness Oversight Commission (Seat Six): Thomas James Rocca recommended (3-0).
  • Mayoral Nominees to Homelessness Oversight Commission: Obai Rambo and Dantanya Ball both recommended for approval (3-0).

All items are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda on November 4, 2025.

Meeting Transcript

Meeting will come. Let's just give it one quick moment until we have our picture this of the room. There we go. Thank you. Meeting will come to order. This is the October 27th, 2025 Rules Committee. I am Supervisor Cheryl, Vice Chair of the Rules Committee. And this morning I'm joined by President Mandelman and Supervisor Dorsey, who's sitting in this committee in place of Chair Walton. Our clerk is Victor Young. And I'd like to thank Jeanette Engeloff from SFGov TV for broadcasting this meeting. Mr. Clerk, do you have any announcements? Uh yes, please. Public comment will be taken on each item on this agenda. When your item of interest comes up and public comment is called, please line up to speak on your right. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at B I C T O R.yo U N G at SFgov.org. If you submit public comment via email, it would be included as part of the file. You may also send your written comments via US mail to our office in City Hall. One Dr. Carlton be good at place. Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. Please make sure the silence all sale phones and electronic type devices. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors agenda of November 4th, 2025, unless otherwise stated. That completes my initial announcements. Thank you. Um I'd like to make a motion to excuse Supervisor Walton. Uh Mr. Clerk, will you please call the role? Yes, on the motion to excuse Supervisor Walton from today's meeting. Member Dorsey. Dorsey Aye. Member Manelman. Aye. Madaman aye. Vice Chair Sherrill. Aye. Oh aye. That motion passes without objection. Motion passes. With that, Mr. Clerk, please call item number one. Yes, item number one. Is the ordinance amending the administrative code to require the arts commission to develop and administer a certification process to identify artists in San Francisco who may be eligible for affordable housing for artists. Good to see you, Supervisor Dorsey. Thanks for joining us this morning. Colleagues, the ordinance before you would establish an artist housing certification program. As you may be aware, a recent hundred million dollar private gift is helping fund the development of the 1687 Market Street project, which will provide more than 90 affordable apartments and creative spaces for artists, including rehearsal spaces and a black box theater. The development of this project has highlighted the need for a formal process by which to identify artists who may qualify for this housing, or what we what we hope will be more future affordable artist housing developments. The Artist Housing Certification Program will meet that need for 1687 Market and other similar projects, requiring the Arts Commission to establish and maintain a registry of artists who would qualify for such housing.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI
TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com