Late Tuesday night, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors rejected the proposal for a moratorium on luxury condos in the Mission District by a vote of 7 to 4 (nine votes were needed to approve it). The vote came at 11:45 p.m. after more than eight hours of discussion and public comment. Even before the meeting, organizers held a rally outside of City Hall to urge patrons to speak up and show their support for the legislation. The rally continued inside during the Board of Supervisors meeting, where more than 200 people lined up for public comment. Here are some photographs from a very long day.
The day began with patrons gathering in front of the City Hall steps on Polk Street for the rally. Those in support wore “Save the Mission” stickers. Photo by Meira Gebel.
Familiar faces met with each other as the crowd began to grow. Many of those in support brought along fliers, stickers, and clipboards. Photo by Meira Gebel.
Mary Strope, a student, wears a “I support affordable housing and the Mission luxury Moratorium” sticker on the steps of City Hall at Polk Street. Photo by Meira Gebel.
News crews began to set up shop when the rally activity increased. Most interviewees were residents of the Mission district or supporters of the moratorium. Photo by Meira Gebel.
A large number of San Francisco Unified School District teachers and educators showed up to the rally and engaged with supervisors during the meeting. Their collective claim was that students cannot focus on their education when housing struggles are continually on their mind. Photo by Meira Gebel.
The scene at City Hall grows as advocates of the moratorium usher patrons into the building for the Board of Supervisors meeting. Photo by Meira Gebel.
On the steps of City Hall on June 2, 2015. Photo by Meira Gebel.
Joni Eisen, an artists located in Potrero Hill, stands in solidarity with those who support the luxury condo moratorium in the Mission District. Photo by Meira Gebel.
Police begin to show up on the steps of City Hall on Polk Street during the rally for the moratorium on luxury housing in the Mission. It was a peaceful event with no arrests or apprehensions. Photo by Meira Gebel.
The rally begins to wind down as patrons begin to move inside for the Board of Supervisors meeting. Photo by Meira Gebel.
David Campos, District 9 Supervisor, who introduced the legislation on market-rate housing moratorium, talks with KPIX on the steps of City Hall. Photo by Meira Gebel. Campos said, “We will just have to wait and see what happens.”
The crowd begins to thin as people move inside. Photo by Meira Gebel.
One activist, who spoke at the Board of Supervisors meeting, begins to urge people to go inside and wait in line to get into the meeting. She said, “the community is all here today.” Photo by Meira Gebel.
People take their seats as police monitor the crowd at the Board of Supervisors meeting, which began at 3 p.m. and ended around midnight. Photo by Meira Gebel.
John Avalos, Supervisor for District 11, supports Campos’ legislation for a moratorium on luxury housing in the Mission, saying that the mayor, Ed Lee, did not introduce a budget on affordable housing in the $8.9 billion budget he introduced the previous day. Photo by Meira Gebel.
David Campos, who introduced the Mission moratorium legislation said, “We have a crisis, and a crisis means we need to take action. I appreciate the passion, the Mission wants control of their district.” Photo by Meira Gebel.
Supervisor Eric Mar of District 1, supported the moratorium, wearing a sticker that said “Save the Mission” and called the current housing crisis in the Mission district “ethnic cleansing.”
However, Supervisors Mark Farrell of District 2, Scott Wiener of District 8, and Julie Christensen of District 3, openly opposed the legislation.
Farrell said, “By stopping new housing is a step in the wrong direction.” He also commented that he thought it was “hilarious” how developers have been emailing him thanking him for making their property values higher.
Wiener said, “This is not new. This is not going to stop evictions.” Wiener was opposed early on to the legislation.
Christensen said, “We need a plan to fund all of this.” She also commented that the moratorium is like “a farmer spraying pesticide and hoping the right crop shows up.”
Rev. Amos Brown, addresses the Board of Supervisors and tells them to truly listen to those waiting in line to speak. Photo by Meira Gebel.
The crowds cheers on a man who told the supervisors to look up from their computers. The public comment section of the Board of Supervisors meeting lasted nearly eight hours, with more than 200 people who spoke. Photo by Meira Gebel.
Scott Wiener, Supervisor for District 8, texts on his phone as public commenters direct their concerns to him. Weiner openly opposed the moratorium. Photo by Meira Gebel.
The push for a 45-day moratorium in the Mission failed, but activists and those who stood in solidarity with Mission residents said that this is not the end, and that they plan to fight this to the end. The Latino Democratic Club plans to push for a ballot initiative on a moratorium. Others say the city should pursue other options to increase the number of affordable units.
Given all the losses at election time for progressives like Campos or liberal ballot measures, and a whole lot of other problems with Mission Inc, it’s not a good sign that the only Plan B after Campos’ moratorium went down as expected in defeat is Plan Ballot measure. Another losing idea that won’t build a damn single unit of affordable housing.
The intrusion by developers into the Mission District is grossly disproportionate with residential development in other parts of the city. It seems as if the Mission is being singled out for the purpose of providing additional, LUCRATIVE housing stock for NEWCOMERS. This, at the expense of existing, some long-term Mission residents. This needs to be addressed, the sooner the better.
Please keep your comments short and civil. Do not leave multiple comments under multiple names on one article. We will zap comments that fail to adhere to these short and easy-to-follow rules.
Given all the losses at election time for progressives like Campos or liberal ballot measures, and a whole lot of other problems with Mission Inc, it’s not a good sign that the only Plan B after Campos’ moratorium went down as expected in defeat is Plan Ballot measure. Another losing idea that won’t build a damn single unit of affordable housing.
The intrusion by developers into the Mission District is grossly disproportionate with residential development in other parts of the city. It seems as if the Mission is being singled out for the purpose of providing additional, LUCRATIVE housing stock for NEWCOMERS. This, at the expense of existing, some long-term Mission residents. This needs to be addressed, the sooner the better.