In what could be an historic move that nobody in the news media has noticed, the Board of Supes today unanimously approved a resolution calling for income and wealth taxes on the richest San Franciscans.
The measure, by Sup. Chyanne Chen, has no immediate impact; the state bars local government from taxing income or wealth. The resolution calls on the San Francisco delegation in Sacramento to seek legislation to change that.
But it’s the first time in decades that the Board of Supes has even considered the concept of a local income or wealth tax—and in the long term, if this gets any traction, it could transform local government finance in California.
The resolution passed with no discussion at the end of the meeting as part of a consent agenda for items introduced without committee reference.
State Sen. Scott Wiener has already told me he has no interest in pursuing that type of legislation. I have yet to hear from Assemblymember Matt Haney, who once identified as a progressive.
A modest income tax on the richest San Franciscans would resolve the city’s budget deficit with no cuts to public services. Everyone who would pay is already set to benefit from the Trump tax cuts.
The vote comes as we are starting to see increasing pushback against the billionaires paying little or no tax. Jeff Bezos just had to move the site of his $20 million Venice wedding because of protests. A prominent banner reads: “If you can rent Venice for your wedding you can pay more tax.”
New York mayoral contender Zohran Mamdani has made increasing local taxes on the rich the centerpiece of his campaign.
So there’s some traction for this—but so far, we are the only news outlet that has even mentioned the resolution.
Also, in a major victory for Sup. Shamann Walton, Mayor Daniel Lurie has backed off from a plan to shift money from housing to build a new congregate shelter in the Bayview.
Walton has been fighting the proposal for months now, saying nobody in the community support it and that it was imposed with little or no community input.
The Budget and Appropriations Committee forwarded it to the full board without recommendation, and the supes rarely go against what a member wants in their district.
At today’s full board meeting, Walton announced that he has reached a deal with the Mayor’s Office to scrap the proposal for 82 dorm beds on Jerrold Street. “Mayor Lurie has agreed to work with the community to decide the best use for this site,” Walton said.
This is more than an issue for one neighborhood that’s already done, as Walton said, more than its fair share of helping the city deal with the homelessness crisis. It’s about the mayor’s priorities—which right now amount to finding ways to get the unhoused out of sight, even if that means moving them into uncomfortable, often inappropriate shelters.
