Rules Committee hears vigorous testimony on Historic Preservation Commission nominees

San Francisco — The Rules Committee heard lengthy testimony Jan. 3 on nominations to the newly constituted Historic Preservation Commission, focusing on seat‑specific qualifications under Proposition J and the Secretary of the Interior’s professional standards.

The hearing covered several nominees, including Andrew Wolfram (reappointment), Richard Johns (seat 4 historian), and Karl/ Carl Haas (contractor seat). Community preservation groups and neighborhood advocates largely praised Wolfram’s and Haas’s records; Wolfram’s supporters cited work on the Ferry Building and his preservation practice. Richard Johns described decades of public history work, including leadership at the San Francisco Museum and research on the old mint, but historians and preservation advocates questioned whether his academic and professional record satisfies the charter’s historian requirement for seat 4.

Deputy City Attorney Cheryl Adams told the committee it has discretion to evaluate whether a nominee meets the charter standard (the charter’s language includes an ‘and/or’ clause describing degree or demonstrable Bay Area history experience). Preservation organizations urged the committee to seek a formal legal opinion and to uphold the objective Secretary of the Interior standards to preserve the city’s Certified Local Government status and eligibility for some grants.

After extensive public comment — both supporting and questioning nominees’ qualifications — the committee continued multiple Historic Preservation Commission nominations to the call of the chair for further review.