Supervisor Preston presses Mayor Breed to protect tenant 'right to counsel'; mayor pledges review but declines dollar commitment

Supervisor Dean Preston asked Mayor London Breed on April 30 to commit to funding San Francisco’s tenant right to counsel program at the current annual level of $17,700,000. The program, established by Proposition F in 2018, provides tenants with legal representation in eviction cases.

Preston said data presented at a city hearing showed the program’s effectiveness: “63% of tenants who are fully represented by an attorney are able to stay in their homes. And 92% avoid homelessness,” he said, and he asked whether the mayor would “commit to continue funding the tenant right to counsel program at at least the current annual amount of $17,700,000 in your upcoming budget.”

Mayor London Breed responded that she could not make that specific funding commitment while the city faces a significant budget deficit. “I cannot commit to the amount of funding that you mentioned, but I definitely am looking at the data, what the costs are, and making sure that we make a decision so that right to counsel is funded appropriately,” Breed said. She added that since the program began in 2019 the administration has “invested nearly $68,000,000 and provided legal representation to roughly 12,000 tenants.”

Nut grafs – program context and linked prevention tools

- The tenant right to counsel program was created by voter-approved Proposition F in 2018 and provides free legal counsel to tenants facing eviction.

- Preston and Breed discussed linked eviction-prevention resources: Preston noted that local rent-relief funding, supported by voter measures Proposition C (2018) and Proposition I (2020), has distributed more than $60,000,000 and helped stabilize about 20,000 renters, according to a Budget and Legislative Analyst report referenced in the exchange.

Key points from the exchange

- Preston’s ask: funding at least $17,700,000 annually to maintain the current program level.

- The mayor’s reply: no commitment to that dollar figure at this time; stated near-term fiscal constraints and said her office will perform a “very deep dive” into program data, who receives the funds, and whether “repeat requesters” require additional accountability measures.

- The mayor pledged to “commit to working with the board and working with your office, to ensure that the resources necessary for prevention are sufficient so that we can continue the success of all the great programs that we've done.”

Follow-up matters raised in the discussion

- Preston urged the mayor to collaborate with the board to avoid cuts: he said the program is “one of the most effective anti-displacement strategies that we have.”

- Breed asked Supervisor Preston whether he planned to support or oppose the broader city budget; Preston said he would withhold judgment until he had the full budget and reiterated prior no votes were tied to large SFPD budget increases and the administration’s refusal to allocate Proposition I funds to social housing.

Outcome

The special order Q&A was heard and filed; no board vote on a specific appropriation occurred during this session. Both officials said they would continue discussions ahead of the budget process.