Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Housing Affordability topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Board keeps San Francisco Housing Fund charter amendment on November ballot after members reject withdrawal motion
Summary
Despite appeals to delay or withdraw the measure, the Board of Supervisors voted to keep the San Francisco Housing Fund charter amendment on the November ballot. The session featured heavy public comment and close floor debate.
The Board of Supervisors considered whether to remove from the November 2008 ballot a charter amendment that would establish a San Francisco Housing Fund dedicated to affordable housing. A motion to withdraw the item from the ballot (mover Supervisor Ellsberg) was defeated; the board voted 8–3 against withdrawing the measure, leaving the charter amendment on the November ballot for voters to decide.
Supporters and opponents
Supporters—many community organizations and affordable‑housing advocates who spoke during public comment—urged supervisors to stay with the January decision to put the charter amendment before voters. They argued the measure creates a stable, predictable source of funding for affordable housing and that delaying or removing the measure would undercut organizing and momentum the community has built.
Opponents and cautious supervisors argued the city’s fiscal picture had changed since January; the board’s budget discussion in July showed a substantially larger out‑year deficit than earlier projections, and opponents said that could make it imprudent to lock funds into a dedicated set‑aside without further revenue analysis. Supervisor Ellsberg and others pushed a motion to remove the item so the Board could reconsider the tradeoffs given current projections; that motion failed in floor votes.
Why this matters
The San Francisco Housing Fund is intended to provide a dedicated local source of finance for affordable housing production and preservation. Putting a charter‑mandated set‑aside on the ballot is a major policy choice: if voters approve, future boards will have less discretionary flexibility and specified revenues will be redirected to housing production programs for a long period. The decision to leave the measure on the ballot hands the policy choice directly to voters amid a high‑stakes November election.
What’s next
The measure will remain on the November ballot. Supervisors who opposed withdrawing it said they will work to educate voters and to pursue complementary revenue measures. Housing advocates promised to campaign for passage. The electorate will decide the charter amendment in November.
