Meeting colors

OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting: Appointments, Police Oversight, Fire Code Council - April 6, 2026

Rules Committee — Monday, April 6, 2026

BodySan Francisco, California

SessionRules Committee

DateMonday, April 6, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 1:10:25

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

0:06

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our April 6th Rules Committee meeting.

0:11

I am your Chair Supervisor Shimon Walton, and I'm joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Steven Sherrow as well as President Rafael Mandelman.

0:21

Today's clerk is Victor Young, and I want to thank Jamie Eschevery from SFGov TV for making sure this meeting is publicized and available to the public.

0:32

Mr.

0:32

Clerk, do we have any announcements this morning?

0:35

Yes.

0:35

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

0:38

When your item of interest comes up.

0:40

Please line up to speak on your right.

0:43

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

0:47

Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR.yo N G at SFgov.org.

0:55

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

0:59

May you also send your written communication via US mail to our office in City Hall 1, Dr.

1:04

Carleton B.

1:04

Goodlit Place, Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102.

1:10

Please make sure to silence also phones and electronic devices.

1:13

Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of April 14th, unless otherwise stated.

1:20

That completes my initial announcements.

1:22

Thank you so much, Mr.

1:23

Clerk, and I just want to remind the public and let everyone know that we will allow public comment for one minute so we can maintain quorum and make sure that we have everybody here to hear from the public today.

1:36

So public comment today will be one minute for each item.

1:40

With that, Mr.

1:41

Clerk, please call item number one.

1:43

Item number one is a motion improving or rejecting the president of the Board of Supervisors, Raphael Maneman's nomination for the appointment of Lily Wong to the Board of Appeals for a term ending July 1st, 2028.

1:55

Thank you.

1:56

President Mandelman.

1:58

Thank you, Chair Walton.

1:59

Um for considering this and uh Supervisor Cheryl for considering this nomination.

2:05

Um I've known Lily for some time.

2:08

Um there's a lot of talk in the city uh these days about the tensions between the east side and the west side of the city.

2:15

I think Lily is someone who actually bridges that gap pretty nicely, lives in District 9, works on the west side, um, has extensive background uh working um in the community, um uh uh as director of the Sunset Chinese Cultural District and Director of Community Engagement at the Wame School.

2:34

Um she has experience in land use and uh I think will bring uh both expertise to this position as well as um a background in uh in working with and hearing from the community, which I think is actually pretty important for especially the Board of Supervisors appointments to bodies like the Board of Appeals.

2:55

So I think she'll be uh great, which is why I am nominating her, and I hope you all will agree.

3:01

Thank you, President Mandelman.

3:03

And I know Ms.

3:04

Wong is here, so we'd love to hear from you and just tell us why you want to serve.

3:09

Thank you.

3:10

Sure.

3:11

Hello.

3:12

Okay.

3:13

I almost feel like I don't need to say anything since President Mandelman has said such nice things.

3:19

Um but good morning, supervisors.

3:21

Uh, thank you for considering my application, and thank you, President Mandelman, for your trust and confidence in me in this role.

3:27

Um, I'd also like to recognize uh President uh Trezvina as well as Director Lamar in the room today.

3:34

Um my name is Lily, and I am a lifelong San Franciscan.

3:38

Uh my family immigrated to San Francisco when I was two years old.

3:42

Um, and I grew up in the mission district.

3:45

Uh my family sought community services in Chinatown, um, and I'm a proud San Francisco Unified School District graduate.

3:52

Um, and I've had a fort uh the fortune to be educated, work, and live in San Francisco's uh in neighborhoods in San Francisco, all over San Francisco.

4:02

Um these experiences have given me a nuanced understanding of the diversity as well as the needs of the people in San Francisco.

4:10

I remained in the city for the majority of my life because I truly love this city.

4:14

This is a city that welcomed my family and helped me become the person I am today.

4:19

Um I learned English from strong black women at Raphael Well.

4:23

I developed views of justice through citywide organizing in the 1990s, and I came back after achieving my degrees intentionally to create um to work in spaces to provide voices for the marginalized and overlooked people of the city.

4:41

Leading up to this hearing, I had the pleasure of speaking to former and current Board of Appeals members, and I've learned of their impressive backgrounds and got advice from their experience on this board.

4:53

From these conversations, I also saw what I could bring in as value added to this board.

5:00

What I can bring is the perspective of a community advocate and the experience I've had living and working in neighborhoods throughout San Francisco.

5:07

I have a master's degree in alternative dispute resolution from Pepperdine Law School, and I sought this degree purposely to learn how to solve problems before it reached the stage of litigation.

5:18

And I truly enjoyed my time mediating in the Los Angeles court system as part of this experience.

5:24

I am committed to listening and understanding where the community is coming from and giving folks a fair chance.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Police Oversight███████████████████████████27%

Procedural████████████████████████24%

Affordable Housing███████████████████19%

Public Safety████████████████16%

Public Comment████████8%

Engineering And Infrastructure██████6%

Summary of Proceedings

San Francisco Rules Committee Meeting (April 6, 2026)

The Rules Committee, chaired by Supervisor Shimon Walton, met on April 6, 2026, to consider three items: the nomination of Lily Wong to the Board of Appeals, a resolution affirming independent civilian oversight of the Police Commission, and an ordinance establishing a Fire Code Technical Advisory Council. The meeting featured public testimony from residents affected by the high-rise sprinkler retrofit mandate. The committee approved the nomination, continued the police oversight resolution for one week, and forwarded the fire code council ordinance to the full board with a split vote.

Public Comments & Testimony

Item 2 (Police Commission Resolution): Griffin Lee (Connected SF staff) opposed the resolution, calling it "added government bloat" and arguing it was about accountability, not racism. Susanna Rojas supported the resolution, citing the importance of civilian oversight after witnessing police shootings.
Item 3 (Fire Code Technical Advisory Council): Dozens of residents from affected high-rise buildings spoke in favor of the ordinance but urged modifications. Key points included:
- Financial hardship: Speakers described costs of $330,000+ per unit forcing seniors and families out of their homes. A 78-year-old physical therapist stated she could not afford the sprinkler cost. An 84-year-old retired teacher said she cannot afford a quarter-million-dollar assessment.
- Displacement concerns: Residents cited mental health impacts (depression, anxiety) and risk of displacement. One speaker warned of hundreds or thousands of San Franciscans being forced to leave.
- Alternative methods: Many requested the council consider non-sprinkler fire safety measures, especially for concrete buildings.
- Composition concerns: Ed Fish objected to labor union seats on the council as a conflict of interest. Others asked for an economist seat and that findings be reported to the Board of Supervisors, not just the fire department.
- Calls for investigation: Several speakers alleged corruption and self-dealing in the original mandate's passage, asking for a City Attorney probe.

Discussion Items

Item 1: Appointment of Lily Wong to Board of Appeals – President Mandelman nominated Wong, citing her community engagement, land-use experience, and mediation background. Wong testified about her background as a lifelong San Franciscan, immigrant, and ADR expert. The committee heard brief public comment from Board of Appeals President John Tresvini, who supported the nomination. The committee voted unanimously to approve.
Item 2: Resolution on Police Commission Oversight – Chair Walton introduced the resolution, arguing the Prop E task force's recommendations to weaken the Police Commission were racist and dangerous, referencing past police killings. President Mandelman and Vice Chair Sherrow expressed concerns about the resolution's blanket opposition, particularly regarding mayoral hiring/firing of the police chief. Mandelman requested a one-week continuance to propose targeted amendments. Walton agreed but emphasized the harm of an all-white committee making such recommendations. The committee voted unanimously to continue the item to April 13, 2026.
Item 3: Fire Code Technical Advisory Council (TAC) – Vice Chair Sherrow and Supervisor Sauter presented the ordinance, noting a forthcoming Budget and Legislative Analyst report and stressing the need for data-driven decisions on the high-rise sprinkler mandate. Fire Chief Dean Crispin supported the council, which would advise the Fire Marshal on financial hardship, displacement, and alternative protections. Chair Walton questioned how financial hardship would be determined and objected to having a supervisor serve on the TAC, calling it a conflict of interest. Sherrow defended the supervisor seat as necessary for ongoing representation. The committee voted 2-1 to forward the ordinance to the full board, with Chair Walton dissenting.

Key Outcomes

Item 1 (Wong Appointment): Motion to approve passed unanimously (3-0). Wong's nomination will go to the full Board of Supervisors on April 14, 2026.
Item 2 (Police Resolution): Motion to continue to April 13, 2026, passed unanimously (3-0). President Mandelman plans to propose amendments.
Item 3 (Fire Code Council): Motion to recommend to the full board passed 2-1 (Vice Chair Sherrow and President Mandelman in favor; Chair Walton opposed). The ordinance will appear on the April 14, 2026, board agenda.

Meeting Transcript

Good morning, everyone, and welcome to our April 6th Rules Committee meeting. I am your Chair Supervisor Shimon Walton, and I'm joined by Vice Chair Supervisor Steven Sherrow as well as President Rafael Mandelman. Today's clerk is Victor Young, and I want to thank Jamie Eschevery from SFGov TV for making sure this meeting is publicized and available to the public. Mr. Clerk, do we have any announcements this morning? Yes. Public comment will be taking on each item on this agenda. When your item of interest comes up. Please line up to speak on your right. Alternatively, you may submit public comment in writing in either of the following ways. Email them to myself, the rules committee clerk at VICTOR.yo N G at SFgov.org. If you submit public comment via email, it will be included as part of the file. May you also send your written communication via US mail to our office in City Hall 1, Dr. Carleton B. Goodlit Place, Room 244, San Francisco, California, 94102. Please make sure to silence also phones and electronic devices. Items acted upon today are expected to appear on the Board of Supervisors' agenda of April 14th, unless otherwise stated. That completes my initial announcements. Thank you so much, Mr. Clerk, and I just want to remind the public and let everyone know that we will allow public comment for one minute so we can maintain quorum and make sure that we have everybody here to hear from the public today. So public comment today will be one minute for each item. With that, Mr. Clerk, please call item number one. Item number one is a motion improving or rejecting the president of the Board of Supervisors, Raphael Maneman's nomination for the appointment of Lily Wong to the Board of Appeals for a term ending July 1st, 2028. Thank you. President Mandelman. Thank you, Chair Walton. Um for considering this and uh Supervisor Cheryl for considering this nomination. Um I've known Lily for some time. Um there's a lot of talk in the city uh these days about the tensions between the east side and the west side of the city. I think Lily is someone who actually bridges that gap pretty nicely, lives in District 9, works on the west side, um, has extensive background uh working um in the community, um uh uh as director of the Sunset Chinese Cultural District and Director of Community Engagement at the Wame School. Um she has experience in land use and uh I think will bring uh both expertise to this position as well as um a background in uh in working with and hearing from the community, which I think is actually pretty important for especially the Board of Supervisors appointments to bodies like the Board of Appeals. So I think she'll be uh great, which is why I am nominating her, and I hope you all will agree. Thank you, President Mandelman. And I know Ms. Wong is here, so we'd love to hear from you and just tell us why you want to serve. Thank you. Sure. Hello. Okay. I almost feel like I don't need to say anything since President Mandelman has said such nice things. Um but good morning, supervisors. Uh, thank you for considering my application, and thank you, President Mandelman, for your trust and confidence in me in this role. Um, I'd also like to recognize uh President uh Trezvina as well as Director Lamar in the room today. Um my name is Lily, and I am a lifelong San Franciscan. Uh my family immigrated to San Francisco when I was two years old. Um, and I grew up in the mission district. Uh my family sought community services in Chinatown, um, and I'm a proud San Francisco Unified School District graduate. Um, and I've had a fort uh the fortune to be educated, work, and live in San Francisco's uh in neighborhoods in San Francisco, all over San Francisco. Um these experiences have given me a nuanced understanding of the diversity as well as the needs of the people in San Francisco.

SUMMARIZED BY OPENPUBLICA AI

TRANSCRIPT VIA PUBLIC VIDEO
openpublica.com