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City staff and supervisors press for faster implementation of San Francisco’s Legacy Business Registry
Summary
Commissioners and community representatives raised concerns that the Legacy Business Registry, approved by voters, has seen limited outreach and only about 16 applications posted despite 54 nominations from supervisors; Supervisor Campos’ office has scheduled a Board hearing on implementation for May 19.
Shelley Kalticheroni, preservation staff, briefed the Historic Preservation Commission on a draft case-report template for the Legacy Business Registry and said the Mayor’s Office of Small Business had received roughly 16 applications so far and expects to forward them to the commission for review in June.
Hillary Ronan, chief of staff to Supervisor David Campos, told the commission that while nine supervisors nominated 54 businesses to the registry, “not one single business has been placed on the registry.” She said Campos has called a May 19 hearing of the Board’s Government Audit and Oversight Committee to examine implementation and that her office is frustrated by the pace and staffing levels at the Office of Small Business.
Community representatives and heritage organizations echoed that frustration. Lee Heffner of Supervisor Aaron Peskin’s office and Mike Bueller with Heritage said public outreach has been minimal and the application was hard to find on the Small Business Office website. Bueller and others urged clearer promotion, a linked resource page, and that the Planning Department and the commission help shepherd nominations.
Commissioners and staff discussed how to process applications; staff said early batches could be calendared for single hearings and that legislation allows up to 300 nominations per year. Commissioners asked staff to draft a letter to the mayor’s office summarizing concerns and requested staff help in outreach and in developing guidance on the kinds of "features" (physical and intangible) the commission will look for in nominations.
Next steps: staff said they expect applications to be forwarded soon, recommended batching initial applications for hearings, and commissioners asked staff to prepare a draft letter to the mayor’s office urging faster staffing, clearer outreach and assistance to applicants.
