Supervisor Kim seeks hearings on nonprofit displacement and on police procedures for cyclist fatalities

Supervisor Jane Kim on Sept. 3 asked the board to initiate two hearings: one to study the impact of rising commercial rents and lease terminations on nonprofit organizations, and a second to review police procedures for investigating cyclist deaths.

Kim said several large nonprofits informed her office that they were seeing "rental increases of 150," a figure she cited while describing the concern organizations brought to her. She asked the board's Legislative Analyst Office to gather current data on commercial and nonprofit rents and requested a Land Use Committee hearing to hear directly from nonprofits about how rent pressures are affecting services, operations and neighborhood stability.

"Stabilizing and promoting our nonprofit sector is an important part of promoting the diverse and local character of our city," Kim said, listing possible strategies to mitigate displacement including property-owner incentives for below-market rents, building acquisition by nonprofits, nonprofit collocations, use of surplus property and consideration of commercial development impact fees.

Separately, Kim asked for a hearing on the procedure for police investigations into cyclist accidents following a recent death in South of Market. She said the city had experienced a string of truck-involved cyclist fatalities and said the proposed hearing is intended to review whether investigations are comprehensive and address victims' and families' needs.

Ending: Kim requested that the Legislative Analyst Office and relevant committees schedule the hearings; no committee votes were recorded at the Sept. 3 meeting. Supervisors signaled support for follow-up work on both items.