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Planning Commission transmits staff resolution after lengthy debate over proposed citywide sit‑lie ordinance
Summary
The commission heard a presentation from the mayor's office and SFPD on a proposed police‑code ban on sitting or lying on sidewalks (7 a.m.–11 p.m.), took hours of public testimony, and voted 6–1 to forward a staff resolution highlighting public‑realm and civil‑rights concerns for the Board of Supervisors to consider.
The San Francisco Planning Commission on April 6 heard more than three hours of testimony on a proposed city ordinance that would make it unlawful to sit or lie on public sidewalks during specified hours and then voted 6–1 to transmit a staff resolution that flags planning, civil‑rights and operational concerns to the Board of Supervisors.
Nicholas King, the mayor’s public‑safety adviser, told the commission the proposal is designed to give police a narrowly tailored tool to address obstructive or intimidating sidewalk behavior that currently falls outside easily enforceable statutes. “Between the hours of 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. it would be unlawful to sit or lie on a public sidewalk,” King said, adding the draft includes “reasonable exceptions” for medical emergencies, wheelchairs and permitted activities such as protest lines or ticketing lines.
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