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Rules committee opens in-depth hearing on San Francisco—s steep decline in African American population
Summary
City staff and a task force presented draft findings showing a multi‑decade decline in the African American population; residents and community leaders called for immediate action on housing, jobs, health and redevelopment oversight.
The Rules Committee devoted a major afternoon session to the city—s long-term decline in its African American population. Redevelopment Agency staff presented demographic analyses (using San Francisco State and Census data) showing a drop from roughly 79,000 in 1990 to about the mid‑40,000s by 2005, with the middle‑class African American population shrinking most sharply.
Fred Blackwell and other staff summarized draft task-force recommendations grouped around housing, jobs/economic opportunity, education, culture/social life and public safety. Proposed actions included expanding certificate-of-preference programs for displaced households, rebuilding public housing under the HOPE SF plan with 1-for-1 replacement guarantees, targeted workforce and business development, and measurable benchmarks for implementation.
Hundreds of residents and community leaders provided emotional testimony calling for urgent oversight, transparent remediation of Hunters Point contamination, enforcement of housing protections, accountability around redevelopment contracts, and a dedicated oversight body with measurable benchmarks. Reverend Amos C. Brown and other speakers urged the Board to treat the depopulation as an emergency and to require enforceable commitments from redevelopment actors. Concerns about dust and an asbestos "exceedance" at Hunters Point were raised as evidence of ongoing health risks; community members requested immediate, independent investigation and stronger enforcement of the city—s precautionary principles.
Committee members asked staff to finalize the draft recommendations, set measurable benchmarks, and return to the full board. Several community leaders asked the committee to create a standing oversight mechanism to track progress and hold agencies accountable.
