People’s State of the City “Address”
PRESS RELEASE FOR Tuesday, February 22, 2022
People's State of the City "Address"
Car Caravan Uplifting Neighborhood Stories & Struggles Across San Francisco
Stop the Sellout! A new era of housing equity
for the people!
What: Car Caravan organized by the Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition demonstrating a true force of unity among working class communities, visiting eight neighborhoods across San Francisco where community leaders will share stories around housing affordability, development, and displacement.
When: The Caravan will start at 9:00am and conclude at 12:30pm on Tuesday, February 22, 2022
Where: Caravan will start from the City College Parking Lot, then proceed to:
Excelsior; Bayview; Mission; SOMA; Chinatown; City Hall; Fillmore; Sunset
Who: Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition (REP-SF)'s 34 member organizations, community leaders and residents.
Visuals: Dozens of cars; Truck with sound system and stage; Different visuals at each venue.
SAN FRANCISCO – Thousands of residents from every corner of San Francisco declare an end to the profit-driven policies that are impoverishing and displacing people of color, working class, and people with low incomes from San Francisco.
The Mayor typically delivers a "State of the City" address to the media at the end of January. This is the first time San Franciscans have come together to deliver our own "People's State of the City" address. Organized as the Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition, REP- SF is staging a citywide car caravan and rally to declare an end to profit-driven policies for housing, land use and planning. The car caravan will wind its way through the city to rallies in the Excelsior, Bayview, Mission, SOMA, Chinatown, Tenderloin, City Hall, Fillmore, and the Sunset.
“All across our city, our communities are organizing to build a real voice to advocate for development that meets peoples’ needs, and advances a vision for cultural preservation, affordability, economic empowerment, and community stewardship over our beloved lands. Together with REP-SF, we are committed to taking care of each other, uplifting our diverse communities, and building power to challenge public officials who prioritize market based strategies over real bottom-up solutions to address our housing affordability crisis," said Charlie Sciammas of PODER
REP-SF's Vision
REP-SF envisions an SF that empowers historically marginalized communities to determine our own futures. Community expertise must be at the forefront to solve issues of displacement, unaffordability, and inequality.
REP-SF envisions homes we can afford, close to where we work, beautiful and culturally responsive in design.
REP-SF demands building affordable homes first, with equity driving the conversation around development.
REP-SF demands community and public land ownership.
REP-SF envisions new systems that prioritize the dignity, health, stability, and aspirations of our communities.
REP-SF demands new policies and new systems that value us, the people, over the profit demands of developers, landlords and real estate investors.
REP-SF rejects "streamlining" of profit-driven housing.
REP-SF rejects selling public lands to profit-driven developers.
REP-SF rejects upzoning without permanent and true affordability.
REP-SF rejects Sacramento and City Hall erasing the voices and aspirations of Black, indigenous, immigrant, and people of color communities in decisions around how our communities develop.
REP-SF's Solutions
Pass a real housing balance program that makes sure truly affordable housing that serves the working class and people with low incomes gets built before any new market rate housing.
Implement community fixes to the city's program that buys existing apartment buildings, fixes maintenance issues, keeps rents affordable, and protects tenants from displacement.
Pass a program that increases units by upzoning residential areas with 100% true, permanent affordability.
Pass a ban on corporate housing platforms taking over our housing.
Ban the selling of public land to for-profit developers.
Pass a ban on demolitions of all sound, tenant-occupied housing.
Stop all legislation and ballot measures that "streamline" market rate housing.
Implement a program that requires developers to disclose how much their new housing units will rent or sell for, and what kinds of incomes will be required. This program would also require the city to present detailed demographic data about the neighborhood where the development is being proposed. This will show the public if the proposed development will be accessible to people from the community.
For updates, follow #REPSF on Twitter, Instagram & Facebook @repcoalitionsf
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