Celebrating REP-SF’s 2024 Wins: Reflecting on Our Advocacy & Impact

Blog
Written By AnaChristina Arana

December 5, 2024

As we close out this year, the REP-SF coalition reflects on the progress we’ve made together and the critical work that lies ahead. 2024 has been a year of resilience, collective action, and significant strides toward our vision of housing justice and equity in land use.

We are proud to highlight the wins and success stories in the past year that have brought us closer to a future where housing and land use decisions truly prioritize the needs of all San Franciscans. From securing the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund to stopping harmful school closures, these victories demonstrate that our advocacy and collective voice can create lasting, meaningful change.

As we look ahead, we remain steadfast in our commitment to bold, transformative change. While we celebrate our progress, we know there is much more work to be done to dismantle racial inequities in planning and housing.

A heartfelt thank you to all of our REP-SF family for your incredible and unwavering advocacy. Together, we advocate for racial, social, and economic equity in San Francisco and beyond. These efforts remind us that our power lies in our collective action. With renewed energy, we will continue fighting, organizing, and building the movement toward a just and equitable future for our communities!

March 2024:

  • Passage of $300M Affordable Housing Bond: In a major victory for affordable housing, San Francisco voters passed Prop A in the March election, approving a $300 million bond to build truly affordable housing across the city! Garnering 70.39% of the vote, Prop A will dedicate funding to affordable housing production, preservation, and unprecedented support for transitional housing for women survivors of domestic violence, homelessness, and substance use.

April 2024:

  • "Housing Is a Human Right" Day of Action in Sacramento: REP-SF members met with our representatives and rallied on the streets of Sacramento to demand that the State of California Make Housing a Human Right! We called on our State Government to take responsibility by investing the money needed to make sure every Californian has an affordable place to call home – and stop letting Wall Street buy up our neighborhoods! In solidarity with Housing Now! California and ACCE Action.

  • Fighting for a People’s Budget: In April, the SF People’s Budget Coalition kicked off a series of three rallies and hearings at City Hall to demand a budget that centers the everyday heroes who keep our city running! Thank you to SF Budget Chair, Supervisor Connie Chan, for hosting these critical budget hearings! And thank you to our REP-SF members, allies, and community members who participated in the Fight for a People’s Budget to demand the resources and future we deserve!

  • PolicyLink Awards Grant to Support REP-SF! The national research and action institute, PolicyLink, provided grant support for the coalition’s work to Affirmatively Further Fair Housing (AFFH) in San Francisco. “We are confident that REP-SF and the Citywide People’s Plan sets a new national standard for localities who aim to institutionalize frameworks of reparative spatial justice into their planning processes and policies,” says Jasmine Rangel, Senior Associate at PolicyLink. “We’re excited that REP-SF’s work is being recognized on a national level. This affirms that our grassroots communities have the real solutions to affordability, equity, and our most pressing housing needs,” says Jeantelle Laberinto of REP-SF. Read our press release to learn more.

May–June 2024:

  • REP-SF’s Anti-Displacement Advocacy around Proposed Upzonings: REP-SF members made their voices heard at City Hall during Planning Commission hearings on SF Planning’s proposed upzonings and density deregulation. REP-SF members spoke on the negative impacts for tenants, small businesses, and communities across the city, urging the Commission to protect tenants and small businesses. Read REP-SF’s blog post to learn more about SF Planning's upzoning proposal, community impacts and threats of displacement, and REP-SF's community demands.

  • Major Victory for Plaza East Tenant Association! Housing Rights Committee (HRCSF) has been organizing with Plaza East public housing tenants for several years in this historically Black community in The Fillmore District. Recently they scored some major victories with the Housing Authority – one of them being a commitment to providing substantial tenant services and meaningful participation for Plaza East residents and also rebuilding deteriorating buildings, instead of tearing them down. This is a significant victory for the residents, marking the fresh start they have long sought, with an immediate focus on improving their current living conditions.

JULY 2024:

  • SF Bans Automated Software Price-Fixing Housing Rents: REP-SF was involved in developing the groundbreaking legislation authored by Supervisor Aaron Peskin that banned the price gouging of housing rents by landlord tech companies such as RealPage. The SF Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to ban both the sale and use of such software. The measure also allows both renters and tenants’ rights nonprofits to sue over violations. San Francisco is the first in the nation to ban this new form of price-fixing.

SEPTEMBER 2024:

  • SF People’s Budget Coalition: “Unlock the Funds” Rally & Hearing: Hundreds rallied to demand Mayor London Breed unlock the funds for vital services like eviction prevention, workforce development, emergency housing vouchers, and rental assistance. These approved funds are essential to address health and housing issues in our city. Thank you to our REP-SF members and SF People's Budget Coalition members who made their voices heard!

OCTOBER 2024:

  • We Did It! We Stopped School Closures! Students, parents, educators, and advocates organized to demand that the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) stop the proposed closures of public schools across the city. REP-SF member Coleman Advocates for Children & Youth, the Small Schools Coalition, along with the REP-SF coalition, advocated to protect small schools that predominantly serve students of color, demanding deeper investments for improvements and increased enrollment, rather than closing or merging schools. In a statement, Coleman Advocates said: “This is a win for our young people and our families. Much appreciation to the youth and their families who shared their stories, as well as the Small Schools Coalition and the REP-SF coalition! Our people showed up, organized, and made their voices heard!” Read REP-SF’s blog post to learn more about the grassroots fight to save San Francisco public schools!

  • Policy Win! Possible Expansion of Rent Control in SF: The SF Board of Supervisors unanimously voted to expand rent control for the first time in 30 years, once we get past state hurdles! For decades, state law, the Costa-Hawkins Rental Housing Act has blocked rent control efforts throughout California. If Costa-Hawkins is repealed, at least 40,000 renters in San Francisco will benefit from rent control expansion. While Prop 33 did not pass in the November election, we will continue to fight legislatively and at the ballot box!

november 2024:

  • Creation of the Affordable Housing Opportunity Fund! In a major victory for affordable housing, San Francisco voters passed Prop G in the November election, creating a first-of-its-kind fund to help seniors, working families, and people with disabilities access safe and affordable housing in San Francisco! With a 58% YES vote, we celebrate this important win that will create a brighter future for extremely low-income renters! With this decision, the City now has a permanent funding source to secure stable housing for our neighbors who need it most. Each year, over 500 seniors, families, and individuals with disabilities will benefit from these rental subsidies. Thank you to all of our REP-SF members and allies who advocated in support of this critical measure!

  • New Citywide HUD Alliance! We are celebrating the new Citywide Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Alliance, which is a first-of-its-kind tenant association made up of residents of Housing Authority buildings across the city including Freedom West, Plaza East, FD Haynes, and Thomas Paine. In the alliance, tenants unite to use their resources to fight together for better standards for public housing by seeing and addressing issues that come up across the board for their homes. In November, they met at City Hall to discuss and strategize how to fight for better living conditions – we are excited for all to come! Special thanks to Supervisor Dean Preston for supporting their work and hosting this meeting.

  • Launch of REP-SF Citywide People’s Plan Zines! We’re so excited that we launched our two new zines (mini magazines) illustrating the REP-SF Citywide People’s Plan, our visionary roadmap to housing justice in San Francisco. The production of these zines is a testament to the power and possibilities of cultural organizing rooted in the Black, Brown, and Indigenous communities most impacted by (re)development and gentrification in San Francisco. The two zines are available in English, Spanish, Filipino, and Chinese. Read our blog post to learn more, download the zines, and share them with your communities!

  • REP-SF & CCHO at AFFH & Housing Element Summit: The nonprofit public law firm Public Advocates hosted the AFFH & Housing Element Summit. Dyan Ruiz spoke on behalf of REP-SF about our Citywide People’s Plan and other advocacy based on the civil-rights-based Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing (AFFH) laws. Dyan and Charlie Sciammas of CCHO spoke on a panel with other grassroots organizers from Vallejo and Concord. They shared stories about how they have incorporated AFFH law into their campaigns, reflecting on successes and challenges.

december 2024:

  • SF Community Land Trust Secures Permanently Affordable Housing for Tenants in the Mission District: Big news! After a multi-year resident organizing effort, REP-SF member, the San Francisco Community Land Trust has purchased a 16-unit property in the Mission District to convert into permanently affordable housing. At 320 14th Street, one-third of the mostly Latinx households have called this apartment their home for more than 20 years. When building conditions deteriorated and their frustration boiled over into a rent strike, the long-time tenants – including seniors and families – faced serious risk of eviction. Instead, as reported in the San Francisco Chronicle, the residents are celebrating! This achievement is a testament to the power of tenant organizing to not only stop displacement, but also to bring homes into community ownership. Thank you to everyone who made this happen – to the tenants for their tireless organizing efforts with the Housing Rights Committee, to the Housing Accelerator Fund and Bay Area Housing Finance Authority for working with SFCLT to finance the project, and to the SFCLT team for their steadfast commitment to keeping communities rooted.

AnaChristina Arana
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December 2024 Planning to the People Newsletter