Supes’ move to avert Lee veto on development measure fails

By Lizzie Johnson : sfgate – excerpt

A motion by the Board of Supervisors that would oppose state “by-right” development legislation and skirt Mayor Ed Lee’s veto of a resolution against it failed at a special meeting Monday.

The legislation, by Gov. Jerry Brown, would make it easier to build new housing without going through an extensive permitting process. If enacted, the proposal would allow planning staff to approve housing developments that conform to the city’s zoning and include 10 percent affordable units, or 20 percent if the project is close to public transit.

The supervisors passed a resolution opposing the by-right legislation in July, but Lee vetoed it. The board ran out of time to override the resolution before the summer recess, pushing the issue into a special meeting. Board members wanted to pass the resolution in the form of a motion, which Lee cannot veto because it is a parliamentary procedure.

Supervisor Scott Wiener said a motion was an “irregular and really problematic” way to push the resolution.

“It is a procedural vote within the Board of Supervisors,” he said. “A motion is supposed to be about those of us within the board setting our own procedural rules. The mayor cannot veto it because it is not in his province to be meddling in the internal procedures. Putting that aside, the board is going to act the way it acts.”

It ultimately failed because a motion requires a board majority — six votes — to pass and it drew five votes of the seven supervisors present Monday. Wiener and Supervisor Katy Tang voted against the motion.

But Supervisor Aaron Peskin said the motion was a way for the board to express itself.

“The policy body may pass a motion to express itself as the policy body,” he said. “It’s legal, though I’ll admit, it is often not done.”

After confusion over whether the motion had passed or not, board President London Breed said it had “unfortunately failed.”…(more)

Better contact our state legislators if you want to stop the by-right law. Tell them By-right is Not Right. Oppose the governor’s By-Right override of local zoning laws.
State contacts: https://discoveryink.wordpress.com/state-legislators/

Governor’s housing plan promoted at closed-door meeting with Mayor Lee

By Tim Redmond : 48hills – excerpt

Why is SF mayor backing plan that would undermine local ability to demand more affordable housing?

I went to the strangest press conference today. Ed Lee was there; so was Ben Metcalf, who is Gov. Jerry Brown’s director of housing and community development. We met at SPUR’s downtown headquarters, at a little after 11am…

The measure has been pending in the state Legislature, but community housing groups all over the state have tried to slow it down. It would override local laws and allow anyone who wants to build any type of housing to do that “by right” if it complies with existing zoning and has a tiny minimum of affordable housing – wiping out the ability of community groups to try to cut better deals with developers.

“While this proposal claims to merely streamline the approval process for housing projects, it will in fact cause significant negative impacts on the environment, jobs, working and low-income neighborhoods, and the public’s right to participate in decisions impacting their everyday lives,” a statement issued today by ten community groups, including ACCE California, the Chinatown Community Development Center, Tenants Together, the Council of Community Housing Organizations, and Public Advocates, noted.

And instead of holding public hearings on the legislation, the groups said, “invite-only meetings are being conducted by the administration that exclude a full presentation of the facts and open dialogue about the plan’s far-reaching implications.”

Some labor groups aren’t too happy about it, either… (more)

This article explains why there is a growing movement against Ed Lee. The backroom deals and closed meetings with state officials and SPUR do not bode well for the citizens of San Francisco. If we continue along these lines it is not a matter of IF but WHEN we will leaving San Francisco. This is a pivotal moment.

Watching state Bills – email tracking

We are just discovering that there are ways to get notices as these bills are amended and pass through the various stages toward passage. You have to sign up to track each bill you want to cover.

http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/