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After public appeals, supervisors adopt amended blight-abatement assessment report and remove several invoices
Summary
Following a Department of Public Works presentation and testimony from multiple property owners asking for waivers, the board accepted amendments and adopted the blight-abatement assessment report with several addresses stricken and some fines waived.
The Board of Supervisors held a public hearing May 5 on the Department of Public Works’ report of assessment costs for graffiti and blight abatement and adopted an amended resolution after hearing property-owner testimony asking for waivers.
Wuju Chung of San Francisco Public Works told the board that between the prior hearing and Dec. 31, 2025, the department issued 3,298 notices of violation for graffiti and related blight; 110 properties had not been abated in a timely manner and were assessed a blight fee, and the department initially submitted 82 unpaid invoices for consideration. The clerk’s readout of the department’s tally noted invoices removed through subsequent payments and a remaining list proposed for assessment totaling $22,712 including administrative fees.
Property owners and representatives spoke during the hearing asking the board to waive or reduce fees for specific addresses, reporting repeated overnight tagging, damage to murals, barriers to acquiring police reports necessary for grant applications, and expenses they had borne to paint and maintain property exteriors. Speakers who sought relief included representatives of Chinatown benevolent associations and owners at addresses such as 969 Buena Vista Avenue West, 131 6th Street, 2987–2995 24th Street and 15 Debose Avenue.
Public Works said it would waive seven invoices and provide an updated, redlined list; the clerk then read a list of addresses to be stricken from the assessment. The board accepted those changes without objection and on roll call adopted the resolution with the amended report (9 ayes recorded). The president encouraged property owners to talk with Public Works staff outside the chamber about next steps.
The adopted action finalizes the list of assessments for inclusion on the next regular tax bill cycle, subject to the amendments recorded in the hearing. Public Works staff committed to follow up with individuals who attended and to provide the updated redline to the clerk for finalization.
