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Rules Committee backs ballot measure to authorize up to 10,000 municipal social housing units
Summary
Supervisor Dean Preston told the Rules Committee the measure would clear a path around Article 34 for up to 10,000 municipally owned affordable units; after extended public comment largely in favor, the committee recommended the ordinance to the full Board by unanimous roll call.
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors Rules Committee voted to recommend to the full Board a ballot measure that would authorize the City and County of San Francisco to own, develop, construct, acquire or rehabilitate up to 10,000 affordable rental units under Article 34 of the California Constitution.
Supervisor Dean Preston, sponsor of the measure, told the committee the authorization is intended to clear a legal barrier erected by Article 34 — which he called “simply put a racist relic of the redlining era” — and to allow the city to pursue municipal social housing without requiring voter approval for each project. Preston said the proposal is part of a broader package that would tax wealthy real‑estate investors and corporate landlords to pay for COVID‑related rent relief and long‑term social housing.
Preston framed the measure as permissive, not mandatory: the city would not be compelled to build municipal housing on day one, but the authorization would “clear the way” to plan and pilot municipally owned housing. He cited international models, including Vienna, where a high share of households live in social housing, as instructive examples.
The committee opened a lengthy public‑comment period that drew roughly two dozen callers. Most speakers — including tenants, housing advocates and nonprofit leaders — urged the supervisors to recommend the ordinance to the full Board, often linking the measure to racial equity, Housing First approaches and the COVID‑era spike in homelessness. One caller urged caution and questioned feasibility, alleging large numbers of vacant homes in the city.
After public comment, Chair Hillary Ronan moved to recommend the item to the full Board with a positive recommendation. Roll call votes recorded Supervisors Catherine Stephanie, Gordon Marr and Chair Ronan voting aye; the Rules Committee recommended the measure to the full board.
Next steps: the item will appear before the full Board of Supervisors for consideration and any further amendments or fiscal analyses required for a November ballot measure.
