It’s 7 a.m. and 43°. Today’s forecast calls for a sunny high of 55°, with a slight breeze coming in from the north. Read details for the next 10 days here.
Tuesday was a big day at City Hall for tenants’ rights. The Board of Supervisors passed three measures designed to help evicted renters and bolster rent control. According to Marisa Lagos’ report in today’s Chronicle, people evicted under the Ellis Act will get priority when it comes to securing public housing. Another measure deals with zoning laws and existing rental units, and the third is aimed at discouraging landlords from taking their units off the rental market. The Supervisors will vote once more on the measures next week, and if passed, they will go to Mayor Ed Lee’s desk for signing.
One in four Californians have an arrest or conviction record — said San Francisco Supervisor Jane Kim and Malia Cohen in support of legislation they introduced called the Fair Chance ordinance — and that stigma can thwart those who hope to go forward crime-free.
“Every year, thousands of citizens are released from federal, state and local correctional facilities and return to their families and friends in San Francisco. For those citizens with a conviction record, successful re-integration into our communities is often hindered by unnecessary barriers to jobs and housing, whether it is immediately after release or decades after having served their time,” reads a press release issued by the offices of Cohen and Kim just before they introduced the new laws at Tuesday’s Board of Supervisor’s meeting.
“The Fair Chance ordinance will strengthen and expand the City’s current fair hiring policies, known commonly as “ban the box,” to private businesses, affordable housing, and contracting and remove unnecessary barriers to stable housing and employment for individuals with conviction records,” according to the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights of the San Francisco Bay Area. Read more here.
This coming Sunday, the Bean Soup Literary Mural project is happening from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Project Artaud fence on 17th between Alabama and Florida streets. Sponsored by Precita Eyes, the mural painting will be led by muralist Susan Cervantes and poet and author Jorge Argueta. For more, visit here.
Are you, or do you know, a queer-friendly musician or band? Organizers of the annual San Francisco Pride celebration in June put out a call for talent this week, looking for performers to submit electronic press kits. The 44th Pride weekend is set for June 28 and 29, 2014 and they need performers for the Main Stage, located in Civic Center Plaza. Acts are selected based on talent, originality, high energy musicality, draw and marketability, according to ReverbNation, a partner of Pride. Click here for more details and here to submit a demo and press kit.
The city will now give public housing priority to those affected by Ellis eviction. This is a move in the right direction. A city-sponsored safety net is far more effective than one that tries to put the responsibility on private property owners.
Frank, all that does is deny that same housing opportunity to another needy person who wasn’t “lucky” enough to be Ellis’ed.
It creates a winner and a loser, as government housing policies so often do. But solves nothing in the long run.