Board advances mandatory retrofit ordinance for soft-story buildings in first reading; unanimous vote

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed an ordinance in its first reading on April 2 to create a mandatory seismic retrofit program for certain soft‑story, wood‑frame residential buildings constructed before Jan. 1, 1978, and not yet seismically strengthened.

Sponsor Supervisor Scott Wiener described the legislation as overdue and framed it as a measure to preserve housing and save lives in the event of a major earthquake. "This legislation is long, long overdue," Wiener said, and he emphasized the goal of enabling the maximum number of residents to shelter in place by stabilizing vulnerable housing stock.

The ordinance targets buildings with five or more units and three or more stories — the city’s most vulnerable housing stock — and staff estimated the program would affect roughly 3,000 soft‑story buildings that house about 58,000 residents and 7,000 workers. The measure authorizes a fee to administer the program and sets a framework for property owners to pursue required strengthening.

The measure includes a pass-through mechanism allowing owners to recover costs from tenants through the Rent Board. Several supervisors and tenant advocates pressed for protections for tenants who could face hardship from cost pass‑throughs. Supervisor Jane Kim secured amendments requiring property owners to inform tenants about hardship application availability and President Chiu (presiding) and others committed to trailing legislation to simplify and clarify the Rent Board’s hardship process. City staff and the Mayor’s Office said they were actively working with tenant advocates and expected the trailing legislation to return to the board within a few weeks to a couple of months.

Supporters from multiple districts described the measure as necessary to preserve rent‑controlled housing by avoiding post‑earthquake demolition and replacement that would remove units from the rent‑controlled stock. Supervisor Malia Breed noted that the targeted buildings are predominantly rent‑controlled and that retrofits would protect renters and preserve critical affordable housing.

Opponents and some members sought additional tenant protections and questioned whether a 100% pass‑through was the right structure; the board agreed to pursue follow‑up legislation to clarify hardship criteria and streamline application procedures at the Rent Board.

The ordinance passed its first reading on a roll‑call vote of 11‑0. As a first‑reading passage under the City’s process, the ordinance will return for a second reading and final passage once subsequent steps are completed and related regulations and administrative procedures are prepared.

Speakers in the record included Supervisor Scott Wiener (sponsor), President David Chiu, Supervisor Jane Kim, Supervisor Malia Breed, Supervisor David Campos, and Jason Elliott from the Mayor’s Office; Patrick Otellini and other Earthquake Safety Working Group members were cited for their contributions.

The board directed staff and the Mayor’s Office to work on trailing rent‑board amendments to simplify hardship documentation and specify income thresholds and appeal circumstances for approved hardship applications.