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Rules Committee recommends Xin Wang for Entertainment Commission after nominee outlines business-focused recovery ideas
Summary
The Rules Committee voted unanimously to forward the mayoral nomination of Xin Wang to the full Board with a positive recommendation; Wang emphasized loosening permitting for non-amplified performances, supporting shared-space initiatives and targeted tax and fee relief for nightlife and entertainment businesses amid the COVID-19 crisis.
The Rules Committee voted 3-0 to recommend the mayor’s nomination of Xin (Cynthia) Wang to the Entertainment Commission, forwarding the appointment to the full Board with a positive recommendation.
Xin Wang described her background as a San Francisco native and a small-business operator with experience in municipal and land-use law and as a broker for an insurance firm that insures more than 1,000 restaurants and entertainment venues. She said the entertainment and nightlife sector — including bars, restaurants, galleries and performance venues — is among the hardest hit by the COVID-19 public-health emergency and outlined several steps the city could take to help the industry recover.
Wang told the committee that loosening permitting requirements for non-amplified live performances, expanding and simplifying shared-space permits, creating expedited or temporary review for safety-related adaptations (for example, roll-up windows and hand-wash stations), and targeted tax and fee relief are among the low-cost actions the city could pursue to help businesses survive. She also recommended looking at legacy-business programs to support venues important to queer and communities of color.
Committee members asked Wang about insurance for shared-space initiatives; she said many general insurance packages can be adapted to meet city requirements (naming the city as an additional insured and waiving segregation on workers’ compensation), though larger corridor closures raise allocation-of-liability questions that major carriers are evaluating.
Members of the public called in to support Wang’s nomination, including local business owners, neighborhood advocates and industry organizers. Tara Fennell of Imprint City said Wang brings needed knowledge of the hospitality sector; Manny Accutio, owner of Manny’s on Valencia, described experiencing the permitting process and urged support; several callers cited Wang’s ties to small businesses and to the LGBTQ community.
Supervisor Gordon Marr moved to send the appointment to the full Board with a positive recommendation and to amend the legislation by deleting the word "rejecting" where applicable; the motion passed unanimously.
