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Heritage group warns mayor’s budget would cut legacy business program manager; commissioner asks to place letter on next agenda
Summary
San Francisco Heritage urged the Historic Preservation Commission to oppose the mayor’s proposed elimination of the Legacy Business Program manager role. The commission’s vice president asked staff to place an item on the next agenda so the commission can consider sending a letter to the mayor's office.
Woody Labonte, president and CEO of San Francisco Heritage, told the Historic Preservation Commission June 4 that the mayor’s most recent budget submission proposes cutting the Legacy Business Program manager role and urged commissioners and private citizens to press supervisors and the mayor to retain it.
"I want to alert you if you didn't know that in the mayor's most recent submitted to your budget he is proposing cutting the legacy business program manager role," Labonte said during public comment.
Labonte described the program as widely popular with legacy businesses and said the manager — named in his remarks as Rich Carrillo — has provided continuity and support to more than "4 50 legacy businesses"; he asked commissioners to consider the budgetary threat and, if possible, to act.
Commissioner Nagas Warren responded by asking staff to place an item on the commission’s next hearing agenda so the commission could consider sending a letter to the mayor’s office in support of the manager position. A staff member confirmed the request during the meeting.
Why it matters The Legacy Business Registry and its coordinator are cited in the meeting record as a program that supports small, long-standing businesses through recognition and outreach. Speakers said eliminating the dedicated manager role would disperse duties across multiple staff members and diminish program continuity.
What commissioners and supporters said Labonte said the position is "the face of" the program and urged commissioners and private citizens to contact supervisors and the mayor. Commissioner Nagas Warren framed the registry as an effort to retain neighborhood character and support small businesses: "we really need to support local businesses... keeping that fabric viable is a huge part of what we should be doing in the city."
Next steps Commissioner Nagas Warren requested placement of an item on the commission’s next agenda to consider a formal letter to the mayor’s office; staff agreed to place the item. The transcript does not record a formal commissioned vote on the letter at this meeting.
