Committee delays Market Octavia 'low-income' seat decision to Dec. 6 after concerns about representation

The committee took up Item 4, an appointment to the Market Octavia Community Advisory Committee (CAC) for a seat designated for a low-income representative. Nicholas (Nick) Wolf, manager of small-business services at the San Francisco LGBT Center, described his work with low-income entrepreneurs and small businesses, his background in urban studies and his engagement with neighborhood merchants.

Speakers from the LGBT Center and neighborhood stakeholders praised Wolf's outreach and small-business work. Eugenie Fitzgerald, director of economic development at the LGBT Center, said the Center serves many very low-income people and that Wolf interfaces directly with those clients. Peter Cohen, a long-time CAC member, urged attention to displacement pressures in the plan area and said the CAC must maintain a clear low-income perspective.

Supervisor John Avalos said he did not hear a strong enough articulation of a low-income constituency perspective from Wolf and withheld support for putting the applicant forward for the low-income seat. Supervisor Scott Wiener and others emphasized the LGBT Center's service role in the plan area and suggested forwarding the nomination to the full Board without recommendation. Chair Jane Kim preferred more time for one-on-one discussion with the applicant.

The committee voted to continue the nomination to the Dec. 6 Rules Committee meeting to allow Chair Kim to meet with Wolf and to give colleagues more time to consider whether Wolf fits the low-income seat or another CAC seat. The full Board will consider any recommendation after that further review.