Mayor Edwin Lee urges clarification of sanctuary practice after Kate Steinle killing, backs $310 million housing bond

Mayor Edwin Lee addressed the Board of Supervisors on July 14, decrying the recent murder of Kate Steinle and urging clarity and collaboration on public-safety issues while also pressing supervisors to back a $310 million affordable housing bond.

Mayor Edwin Lee opened by asking the board and public to “remember Kate” and called the killing at Pier 14 “tragically and needlessly” committed by “a man who should not have been released from county jail.” He said the case has refocused national attention on San Francisco’s sanctuary city policies but cautioned against rhetoric that “demonizes hardworking immigrants.”

At the same time, Lee said the city’s sanctuary policies — in place since the 1980s — “make our city safer overall” by encouraging residents to report crimes and access public services. He said, however, that the city should not be a “safe haven for criminals” and urged that a departmental policy that “prohibits this kind of communication between the sheriff’s deputies and immigration officials... should be rescinded immediately.”

On housing, Lee asked supervisors to back a proposed ballot measure calling for a $310 million municipal affordable housing bond that, he said, would not raise property taxes. The mayor described the bond as “historic,” part of a broader five-year plan totaling $1.1 billion to fix public housing, accelerate construction of affordable units for families, seniors and veterans, and create programs for middle-income renters and homeowners.

The board later took formal action to call a special election for Nov. 3 to submit the $310 million bond question to voters. The ordinance calling the election passed unanimously on first reading.

The mayor’s comments framed both public-safety concerns after a high-profile homicide and the city’s ongoing policy priority of producing affordable housing, asking supervisors to help place the bond before voters in November.