Mayor London Breed praises Downtown Streets Team, outlines $500 million housing bond and teacher-housing charter amendment

Mayor London Breed addressed the Rules Committee during a presentation that highlighted the city-funded expansion of the Downtown Streets Team (DST) and outlined major housing proposals.

Breed thanked volunteers and city staff for DST's work in the Mission and noted new funding to expand the program. She said the Mayor's Office had provided a quarter-million dollars to the DST expansion and described the program as more than clean streets: "This is about taking care of our city... and people have opportunities to get housing." DST representatives reported that since launching with city funding in the Mission nine team members had obtained employment, three had been housed, the program had removed 300,000 pounds of trash and collected 2,458 needles from streets in that area.

The mayor also previewed two housing proposals she planned to bring to the ballot: a $500 million affordable-housing bond and a charter amendment to rezone all public parcels for 100% affordable and teacher housing. Breed said rezoning public parcels would remove years of discretionary review and speed construction of teacher and affordable housing on surplus public land. "We will pass our affordable housing bond. We will make it easier to build affordable and teacher housing in San Francisco," she told the chamber.

Mayor Breed linked the local housing crisis to homelessness and urged collaborative solutions involving city departments, nonprofits and volunteers. The committee received the presentation and the Mayor's remarks were part of broader public-comment and community-recognition items that day.