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Board approves COVID relief, transportation bond funding and housing finance; several measures pass unanimously
Summary
At its Feb. 23, 2021 meeting the San Francisco Board of Supervisors approved a package of ordinances, appropriations and resolutions addressing pandemic relief for venues and small businesses, transportation bond proceeds, housing financing and other measures. Several items were continued or scheduled for later committee consideration.
San Francisco—s Board of Supervisors on Feb. 23 approved multiple ordinances, appropriations and resolutions addressing pandemic relief, transportation funding and housing finance.
An ordinance establishing the San Francisco Music and Entertainment Venue Recovery Fund passed unanimously to provide grants to venues whose operations were harmed by the COVID-19 emergency. The board also approved an ordinance to appropriate $129,000,000 of revenue bond proceeds to the Municipal Transportation Agency for street and transit projects in fiscal year 2020-21.
Other measures adopted included a waiver of certain business registration and license fees for small businesses impacted by public-health orders, several airport lease amendments, acceptance and expansion of grants to the Department of Public Health, and authorizations to expend and reallocate SOMA Community Stabilization Fund dollars for nonprofit housing and tenant improvements. The board also cleared actions to enable financing of a 120-unit multifamily project at 1223 Webster Street.
Why it matters: The package combines pandemic-era relief with ongoing capital and housing financing. Several items respond directly to economic losses from COVID-19; others move longstanding capital and housing projects toward contract and construction.
Key outcomes (selected): - Ordinance to establish Music and Entertainment Venue Recovery Fund (Item 1): finally passed unanimously. - Ordinance appropriating $129 million in bond proceeds to MTA (Item 2): finally passed unanimously. - Ordinance waiving business registration and certain license fees for qualifying small businesses (Item 3): passed on first reading unanimously. - Four airport lease amendments (Items 6—6): passed unanimously. - Acceptance and expansion of multiple DPH grants (Items 10, 12—15): adopted after discussion and staff explanations. - SOMA community stabilization expenditures and tenant-improvement allocations (Items 16 and 18): approved unanimously. - Multifamily housing revenue note for Fillmore Marketplace Apartments, up to approximately $21.7 million (Item 17): adopted unanimously. - Ordinance limiting certain residential evictions through June 30, 2021 (Item 29): passed on first reading unanimously. - Ordinance creating the Students and Families RISE work group to advise the city and school district on post-pandemic educational recovery (Item 30): passed on first reading unanimously.
Items continued: Two accessory dwelling unit-related measures (Items 4 and 5) were continued to the March 2 meeting at the request of the sponsor to allow for a late amendment and additional stakeholder discussion. The board excused one supervisor from those votes for a disclosed financial conflict.
What the votes mean: The board used its legislative calendar to move pandemic relief and capital funding while flagging several items for follow-up and additional vetting. Many measures were unanimous, reflecting cross-aisle agreement on emergency relief and financing measures.
Votes and record: Roll-call votes that included the full tally are in the official clerk—s record for the Feb. 23 meeting; the clerk announced the vote totals on the record as each item concluded.
Ending note: Several agenda items required follow-up committees and filings (for example continuing items 4 and 5), and the board scheduled those items for subsequent hearings.
