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Committee advances hotel and large‑office cleaning standards after heated public comment
Summary
Supervisors advanced amendments and sent to the full Board an ordinance creating cleaning and disease‑prevention standards for tourist hotels and large offices; unionized hotel workers urged passage while hospitality industry groups urged more time and objected to mandatory daily room cleaning.
The Land Use & Transportation Committee on Sept. 14 advanced an ordinance to set cleaning and disease‑prevention standards for tourist hotels and large commercial office buildings, approving non‑substantive amendments and forwarding the item to the full Board for hearing on Sept. 22.
Chair Aaron Peskin described the ordinance as an effort to "rebrand San Francisco as the safest tourism destination in the United States of America," and said he had incorporated roughly half of about 33 suggested stakeholder amendments. The amended language clarifies definitions (including "frequently touched" surfaces and employee break areas), removes a requirement that bed linens and towels be changed daily unless requested by a guest, and inserts protections and exceptions for areas closed to employees or guests. Peskin said counsel advised many of the amendments are non‑substantive.
Public comment revealed a sharp split. Hotel workers and union representatives, including Nicholas Javier, Maria Mata and Larry Lucolumba of Unite Here Local 2, urged the supervisors to pass the ordinance to protect low‑paid housekeeping staff and hasten safe reopening. Hotel housekeeper Maria Mata said, "This law will require my hotel to follow the World Health Organization recommendation for cleaning and safety during COVID‑19... I don't want to get infected, and I don't want to infect my family." Nicholas Javier, a server, told supervisors: "I'm asking you to vote yes on this ordinance because we need the strongest safety and cleaning standards to bring guests back to our hotels."
Industry groups including the Hotel Council of San Francisco, the American Hotel & Lodging Association and the California Hotel & Lodging Association urged more time to review late changes and opposed mandatory daily room cleaning and certain operational rules, arguing public health guidance in many jurisdictions allows guest‑opted cleaning and that the proposed daily room‑cleaning requirement could increase exposure risks for staff. Kevin Carroll of the Hotel Council said the group requested continuance to allow adequate review of changes.
Public health speakers were mixed. Dr. Murray Cohen, a certified industrial hygienist and retired infectious disease epidemiologist, said industry guidance such as the "Safe Stay" protocols align with best practice but warned that some arbitrary cleaning requirements in the proposed ordinance could increase exposure risks for workers and guests.
Vice Chair Asha Safaei stressed coordination with the county health officer and state and CDC guidance; she said the ordinance was designed to meet that guidance. After reviewing the amendments, the committee voted to adopt them and to send the ordinance to the full Board for hearing on Sept. 22 (roll calls: Preston, Safaei, Peskin all "Aye").
The ordinance, as amended, will proceed to the Board with the committee's recommendation; industry representatives asked for additional dialogue during the interceding week.
