REP-SF Planning to the People Newsletter: Jan. 2025
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Happy New Year! We are so excited to share that REP-SF received a Certificate of Honor from Supervisor Dean Preston and the SF Board of Supervisors in recognition of our coalition's work! This acknowledgment is a testament to the collective power of our coalition and our communities. Thank you to all of our REP members for the amazing work you do every day! Check out more about the commendation below!
We're happy to share our REP-SF Planning to the People newsletter for January. Our monthly newsletter provides the latest news and ways to take action on behalf of grassroots communities for housing justice and equitable city planning – all in one place!
In community,
The REP-SF Team
Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition
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REP-SF Certificate of Honor from Supervisor Dean Preston!
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What an amazing way to start the new year! We are incredibly grateful to receive a Certificate of Honor from Supervisor Dean Preston and the SF Board of Supervisors in recognition of the REP-SF Coalition's work! The Certificate says:
"In recognition of the power of your coalition to defend BIPOC, working class and vulnerable communities from displacement, your dedication to upholding economic, racial, and social justice in City planning decisions that have too often left entire groups behind, your successful fight to include equity provisions and considerations into the San Francisco Housing Element, and the enduring commitment of your organizations rooted deeply in our diverse communities, the Board of Supervisors thanks your coalition and offers our highest honor."
Congratulations to REP-SF members, the SF Community Land Trust and Eviction Defense Collaborative, who also received Certificates of Honor from Supervisor Dean Preston in recognition of their critical work!
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Watch Instagram Live: People-Powered Solutions to Claim Space for Affordable Housing in San Francisco
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Feb. 27: Join Us for Planning Commission Hearing on Tenant Displacement
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REP-SF and our allied coalitions, the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC), Small Business Forward (SBF), and the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO) requested hearings at the SF Planning Commission focused on tenant and small business displacement. The hearings aim to refocus the City's policy discussion around the rezonings (upzonings) on affordability and preventing the displacement of tenants and small businesses, instead of continuing to push these concerns aside in favor of developer giveaways. The hearings will include a community presentation and opportunity for public comment. The first hearing on Tenant Displacement will be on Feb. 27. Please save the date, and join us in making our voices heard! Stay tuned for more information soon!
Thursday, February 27, 2025: Planning Commission Hearing on Tenant Displacement
- TBD: Rally & Press Event on the steps of City Hall (1 Dr Carlton B Goodlett Pl)
- 12–4 pm: Planning Commission Hearing at City Hall, Commission Chambers, Room 400: Community Presentation and Public Comment
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Act Now! Final Push for REP-SF Petition!
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Thank you so much to everyone who has signed and shared REP-SF's petition calling on San Francisco to put equity and affordability FIRST! This is our final push for the petition before the Feb. 27 Planning Commission hearing, when REP-SF will deliver our petition to the Mayor and the Board of Supervisors as part of our anti-displacement advocacy. Help us spread the word to keep up the momentum!
Sign Petition: bit.ly/REPSF-Equity-Petition; Share Petition: bit.ly/REPpetitionToolkit
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Jan. 15: La Maravilla/The Marvel in the Mission: First Community Meeting!
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Wed. Jan. 15, 6–8 pm at La Fenix (1950 Mission Street): After years of community advocacy against the Monster in the Mission, the Marvel in the Mission, affordable housing and community space, La Maravilla, is on its way to being built! REP-SF member Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) has partnered with Mission Housing to bring the Marvel to life in The Mission. La Maravilla is hosting its first community meeting! They are gathering information from the community on what they want La Maravilla to be transformed into. Come and learn about the project's engagement timeline and ways to provide feedback. Register!
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Jan. 31: EDC Community Event: A Conversation with Deogratias "Deo" Niyizonkiza
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Jan. 31, 5:30–7 pm at EDC (976 Mission Street): REP-SF member Eviction Defense Collaborative (EDC) is excited to announce its new EDC Community Event Series. To kick off the series, EDC is hosting Deogratias "Deo" Niyizonkiza, Founder and CEO of Village Health Works and the subject of Tracy Kidder’s book, Strength in What Remains. Deo experienced homelessness after surviving a civil war and genocide. Donations will be welcome, but optional. RSVP here!
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New Reports from our friends at PolicyLink
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"Repairing Roots: Historic Black Towns and Spatial Reclamation" (Dec. 2024)
Repairing Roots is more than a tribute to historic Black towns–it’s a call to action for reparative spatial justice. By exposing systemic harms like displacement and exploitation, this work lays a foundation for healing, repair, and the creation of vibrant, inclusive communities where justice and belonging are at the center.
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Fighting Back Against Illegal Price Gouging
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Yes, Price Gouging During LA Fires Is Illegal — and Here's How You Can Report It – KQED, Jan. 10, 2025
As a huge number of people displaced by the fires now try to meet their basic needs, Attorney General Rob Bonta has issued a reminder that price gouging during disasters like this remains illegal in California. The state’s Department of Justice is now urging people to report any examples of price gouging they see and warns that sellers found to be violating this law can be prosecuted, fined and imprisoned.
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U.S. Justice Department accuses six major landlords of scheming to keep rents high – Associated Press (AP), Jan. 7, 2025
The U.S. Justice Department is suing several large landlords for allegedly coordinating to keep Americans’ rents high by using both an algorithm to help set rents and privately sharing sensitive information with their competitors to boost profits. The lawsuit "seeks to end their practice of putting profits over people and make housing more affordable for millions of people across the country."
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Upzoning and gentrification: Heterogeneous impacts of neighbourhood-level upzoning in New York City – Urban Studies Journal, Dec. 24, 2024
A new academic study on upzoning and gentrification in New York City found that "upzoned neighbourhoods became whiter, more educated and more affluent in the long run. Upzoning is also associated with increases in housing production, but housing prices also increased." The study also found that "Black-majority and low-income neighbourhoods experienced gentrification to the greatest extent."
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Social housing can work in SF, a groundbreaking new report shows – 48hills, Dec. 16, 2024
A groundbreaking new study shows it's entirely feasible for the city to build housing for all, outside of the private market. "The final report requested by outgoing Sup. Dean Preston is a massive breakthrough that could help shape future housing policy in San Francisco,” writes Tim Redmond. "It suggests that, for the first time in decades, the city could get directly into building new mixed-income housing, entirely bypassing the private market.”
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Other Housing Justice News
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The nation’s homeless population is skyrocketing. What can other cities learn from S.F.’s approach? – San Francisco Chronicle, Jan. 4, 2025
As the U.S. Dept. of Housing & Urban Development (HUD) reports an 18% increase in homelessness across the nation over the past year, columnist Nuala Bishari emphasizes the need for real solutions like permanent supportive housing, rather than inhumane sweeps that push the crisis from one street corner to another. "Last Thursday, there were 264 unhoused people on the waitlist for a shelter bed. We do not have enough resources to serve the thousands on city streets, and until we do, enforcement of anti-camping laws will continue to be a waste of resources."
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Trump’s return brings alarm to SF’s affordable-housing sector – San Francisco Examiner, Jan. 3, 2025
Advocates say they fear the stage is now set for major cuts to federal housing subsidies. It’s a blow that some describe as a potentially “existential threat” for the already faltering affordable-housing sector. "It's basically gearing up HUD to be a way to support more private development and plunder public resources and politicize the staff of HUD," said John Avalos, who heads the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO), an affordable-housing nonprofit in San Francisco. "So we’re bracing ourselves."
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New law could help tenants facing eviction stay in their homes – CalMatters, Dec. 23, 2024
Big win for tenants across California! As of Jan. 1, under a new state law, renters will have 10 business days (instead of 5) to respond to eviction notices – giving more time to seek legal help and avoid unfair evictions. Lawyers who work with renters say that what may seem like a minor procedural change could make a big difference in helping people across the state to stay in their homes.
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