Mayor Lee outlines plan to "re-envision" San Francisco Housing Authority; working group due July 1

Mayor Edwin Lee told the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on Tuesday that the San Francisco Housing Authority (SFHA) is "in crisis" and outlined steps his office has taken to stabilize governance and service delivery while seeking a longer-term restructuring.

Lee said he met with U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan in January to request support for a public-private partnership model and that, in February, he replaced all but one of the existing SFHA commissioners with a new commission the mayor said had operational expertise.

Why it matters: The housing authority manages more than 12,000 public-housing residents in San Francisco, many of them vulnerable seniors and low-income families. The board—s budget analyst published an audit indicating management failures; local officials and advocates raised concerns about procurement, maintenance and tenant services.

Key actions described by the mayor - Commission changes: Lee said he appointed a new set of commissioners and the new board quickly tightened procurement thresholds (reducing the approval threshold from $100,000 to $30,000) and instituted monthly procurement reports. - Community-driven redesign: The mayor—s office convened tenant leaders, advocates, property owners, labor representatives, housing developers, city staff and HUD staff to define a new model for the housing authority. City Administrator Naomi Kelly and the mayor—s Office of Housing director, Olson Lee, are leading the process and are to deliver actionable recommendations by July 1. - Asset-management and maintenance: Lee emphasized the need to implement HUD-defined asset-management practices and said labor cooperation is necessary to place a maintenance mechanic at each public-housing property.

Supervisor responses and context Supervisor David Campos, who commissioned the performance audit, said the audit confirmed the agency—s troubled status and asked the mayor to provide a long-term vision for preserving public housing as a municipal asset. Mayor Lee said the process is designed to include tenant perspectives and to chart a path that preserves housing for low-income residents.

What was not decided The mayor described steps already taken and the structure of the working group, but he did not announce specific administrative changes beyond procurement reform and the commission appointments. The July 1 deliverable was set as the date for concrete recommendations.

Quotes "Rather than impose our view on what the housing authority must be, I reached out to the tenant leaders, the advocates, community developers, property owners who rent to section 8 tenants, labor representatives, community providers, city and HUD staff, asked them to tell us how a re-envisioned housing authority should be," Mayor Edwin Lee said.

Next steps City Administrator Naomi Kelly and the mayor—s Office of Housing director Olson Lee will lead the working group and submit recommendations on or before July 1. The Board of Supervisors and other city offices will review proposed governance and operational changes for potential implementation.

Provenance: mayor remarks and supervisor questions appear in the transcript between the mayor—s opening remarks and the housing discussion (see transcript entries near the question period).