The Chron made a big deal of the supes decision not to move forward with a plan to “streamline housing production.” So did the SF Standard, under the headline “Peskin shoots down measure to speed development of middle-class housing.”
None of that reflects what’s actually going on in the local housing market, or what happened at the hearing, or what’s going on with the mayor and the supes.
Mayor London Breed has proposed two City Charter amendments, one dealing with the School Board and the other with housing. Both reflect the style that Breed has adopted: She refuses to get input from progressive community-based organizations that have been working on these issues for years.
That’s a big reason why her proposals aren’t moving forward.
Every person who has been involved in affordable housing issues for years in the city who testified at the hearing was against the measure.
As Kim Tavaglione, executive director of the SF Labor Council, noted during public comment:
You know, I was never asked about this until someone happened to email it to me. You’ve got to put together a coalition of people and get them in the room and have them put their ideas together. That’s what is going to make a really effective charter amendment if we want to go this route and get all the concerned parties in the room.
Sup. Connie Chan noted:
I want to express a similar sentiment that I had expressed earlier today or maybe Monday about another charter amendment proposed by the mayor after hearing many of those who are in the trenches working on that issue opposing the charter amendment.
Actually it’s very similar to the fact that stakeholders who are at the table and can really figure this out.
It’s not really producing the result those who really are in the trenches know this issue well.
Peskin:
after hearing a comment from such a broad array of folks from throughout the city are long-term stakeholders who are knowledgeable, it’s folly. So look, I think if you want to go about this in the right way it is convening those different stakeholders. Come up with something that people are going to say this and that about and are going to support and oppose but not like this,
The School Board Charter amendment was drafted entirely behind closed doors. This one was done with input, Safai and other said, from the developers and the building trades unions.
That doesn’t work in this city.
Peskin didn’t insist that measures like this have the unanimous approval of every stakeholder; that’s difficult. But at least there should have been an open process so that everyone could have input.
That’s the real reason these measures went down—and the mayor can only blame herself.
