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Supervisor Peskin seeks exception so long‑running humidor can relocate in District 3
Summary
The Land Use and Transportation Committee voted unanimously to forward an ordinance that would exempt a long‑established humidor business from San Francisco's tobacco‑sales permit cap so the owner can relocate near its prior Embarcadero site, following public testimony from the owner and supporters.
Supervisor Erin Peskin asked the committee to exempt a specific, long‑running humidor in District 3 from a local cap on tobacco sales permits so the family‑owned business can relocate to a nearby Embarcadero site it occupied in the 1990s.
Peskin told colleagues the business has been nominated for inclusion on the city's legacy business registry and has operated continuously for more than 25 years; she said the measure serves the public interest and helps preserve a neighborhood business. "I think this measure is in the public interest in that, we should go forward with that," Peskin said.
Owner Ben Bakshi, who identified himself as the proprietor of the Humidor, told the committee the move is necessary after rent increases forced him out of his prior space and that returning to the Embarcadero location would allow him to continue supporting his family. "This is a small business. It's a family business...this is really my livelihood," Bakshi said during public comment.
Supporters who spoke at the meeting included an employee, Fernando Cortez, who credited Bakshi with teaching him how to run a small business, and Anne Marie Ciccone of Colliers International, who said Boston Properties would welcome the Humidor back to Embarcadero Center as a complementary tenant.
Vice Chair Scott Wiener said he supported a "very limited exception," noting the business does not sell cigarettes or e‑cigarettes and that the change would not add to the number of tobacco outlets in the city. "It's simply allowing a long time existing use to move a few 100 feet away," Wiener said.
The committee voted without objection to forward the ordinance to the full Board of Supervisors as a committee report; the item will appear on the Board agenda for further consideration.
Meeting note: the committee did not record an individual roll‑call in the transcript; the chair announced the motion passed unanimously.
