Speak up at City Hall Mon 6/22 and Wed 6/24

Monday June 22, 9am: Rules Committee hearing
Help put two Charter Amendments on the November ballot! City Hall, Committee Room 263

1. Support the Housing Trust Fund
The second item on the agenda of the Board of Supervisors Rules Committee should be up early. San Francisco's most reliable, voter-protected source of funding for permanently affordable homes would expand to a target of $125 million per year — a significant, dedicated commitment that gives our affordable housing pipeline the stability it has been missing in light of one-time funding sources drying up and uncertain federal and state funding. A few minutes of public comment from supporters like you would send a powerful message. The next item should come up shortly.

2. Support the Public Bank
Legislation to create the structure and governing rules for a Municipal Financial Corporation (a required preliminary) and a Public Bank has been introduced by Supervisor Chyanne Chen. This is the culmination of years of movement work to put the people of SF over profit. Here are some talking points for supporting the Public Bank Charter Amendment.
While the legislation already has 5 sponsoring Supervisors, only 1 of the 3 on the Rules Committee is currently committed to supporting. Without one more Committee member, the legislation won't go to the ballot. We need everyone who supports a public bank to let our elected officials know they think San Francisco residents should have a chance to vote on the rules for our public bank.
Each and every voice could make the difference! Please take a brief moment to join this movement and support this crucial effort. Ask 3 friends, family, housemates or co-workers to also reach out. We get this done by our voices being a constant feature of our elected officials' working lives in the time leading up to a vote.

Ways you can speak up:

• Join supporters in person at SF City Hall, Room 263, shortly after 9am, and comment on both items.
• Call the Supervisors on the Rules Committee, especially if you are a constituent.
• Send an email to the Supervisors on the Rules Committee over the weekend.
• Email the Clerk of the Committee at Brent.Jalipa@sfgov.org
• Subject line should include File #260537 (Housing Trust Fund) and/or File #260535(Public Bank)  

Contact info for the Rules Committee:

• Chair Shamann Walton (D10) 415-554-7670 waltonstaff@sfgov.org - already co-sponsoring both items; thank him for his support.
• Vice Chair Stephen Sherrill (D2): 415-554-7752 SherrillStaff@sfgov.org - co-sponsoring the Housing Trust legislation but not the Public Bank. Thank & encourage!
• Rafael Mandelman (D8): 415-554-6968 mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org - has not cosponsored either item.

Thank you!

Wednesday June 24: City Hall actions

1. 10:30am: Budget Public Comment Day

“I wholeheartedly support the goal of getting to net-zero GHG emissions by 2040...The climate emergency is an existential threat. I believe we need large-scale public sector investments in climate infrastructure and electrification... I will prioritize climate action not just in words, but in dollars and policy."
These are the words of Candidate Lurie. And when Lurie the Mayor proudly released “his” 5-year update to the city’s Climate Action Plan (CAP) in April, he said, “The actions in our updated Climate Action Plan set a clear direction for our future: reduce climate pollution, improve public health, and make San Francisco greener, healthier, and more affordable.”
But his proposed budget does the opposite. It cuts SF Environment Department’s General Fund support by 80% since FY 22-23 and fires the staff most qualified to coordinate and implement the CAP. This is a 40% cut to the entire department - of which only a small part is even allowed to be dedicated to achieving all CAP goals. That small part will be almost 100% wiped out and all progress, benefitting frontline communities in particular, will stop.
General Fund money to SFE supports CAP implementation, the Climate Equity Hub, EV charging installation, and biodiversity and habitat restoration. The Hub provides technical assistance, education, and workforce development services that support citywide building electrification. SFE’s climate program staff, with years of climate action expertise, are among the most engaged and trusted ambassadors that City government has to reach communities all across town. But the Mayor’s current budget revokes funding for ALL their core programs: talent and experience wasted, programs ending, grants forfeited, and future grants jeopardized. Since 2022-23, General Fund support - though tiny! - of SF Environment Dept. has brought in $29 for every dollar invested.
People expect San Francisco to lead - especially with the federal government hell-bent on destroying the climate - but on this all-encompassing issue we are going backwards.
​
Ways you can speak up:

✅ Visit the Supervisors’ offices with us Wednesday, along with partners from the People’s Budget Coalition. Let's meet up at 10:30, outside City Hall on the sidewalk to the left of the Polk Street steps. Rather than stand in a massive line for hours to speak for one minute, we will go directly to the offices of the five Supervisors on the Budget & Appropriations Committee (other Supes too), to make absolutely sure they’re hearing us loud & clear. Our message will focus on allowing the City's Climate Action Plan actually to be carried out. ✅ Ask questions or RSVP by replying to this email.

✅ Send a quick email now to the Supervisors' Budget & Appropriations Committee. While we support the demands of the People's Budget Coalition in their letter (link is in SFCEC's 6/13 email) - all for one and one for all - now we do need to sharpen the focus on climate. You can take your talking points from the paragraphs above - but be sure to let them know that at the very least, the the Supervisors must convince the Mayor:

• to restore at least $300K to SFE’s budget for additional clean transportation staffing and
• to restore funding for electrification rebates and incentives so that the crucial, proven-effective Climate Equity Hub continues to exist and help those most impacted by climate change.

✅ If your Supervisor is on the committee, call as a constituent to express your concern/outrage/incredulity (not sure what District you live in? Click here).

Contact info for the Budget & Appropriations Committee:

• Chair Connie Chan (D1) 415-554-7410 ChanStaff@sfgov.org
• Vice Chair Matt Dorsey (D6) 415-554-7970 DorseyStaff@sfgov.org
• Rafael Mandelman (D8): 415-554-6968 mandelmanstaff@sfgov.org
• Danny Sauter (D3) (415) 554-7450 SauterStaff@sfgov.org
• Shamann Walton (D10) 415-554-7670 waltonstaff@sfgov.org
• Clerk of the Committee Brent.Jalipa@sfgov.org
  
  

2. Noon: Rally for Bayview-Hunters Point environmental justice!

 June 15 to 18: Fight 4 Our San Francisco! We need your voice. 

From the People’s Budget Coalition (SF Climate Emergency Coalition is a member): San Francisco is facing a $1 Billion deficit over the next five years, and City Hall is proposing deep cuts to the social safety net that will mean more than 25,000 San Franciscans lose essential services and more than 1,500 nonprofit and city workers are laid off. The People’s Budget Coalition is documenting these cuts and working with community organizations across the city to fight for a budget that funds OUR San Francisco. City Hall must find the money, use the tools available, and restore the cuts.
City Hall is making decisions now that will shape the future of our communities. From June 15 to 18, we will join fellow SF People’s Budget Coalition members and take action to demand that City Hall find the money and restore the cuts to essential services and the safety net. Flyers with details about all 4 days of action are here.

Thursday, June 18 is the day of all-community action, Civic Center Plaza & City Hall starting at 10am, with singing, cultural performances, a Renegade Resource Fair, art-making, a community picnic, and a 12:30pm press conference outside Room 250. Bring your people, share the events, and show up for a city budget rooted in care, dignity, and real recovery.
Reach out with any questions to Coalition Coordinator Anya Worley-Ziegmann at (925)519-4524 (925)519-4524 or anya@peoplesbudgetcoalition.org

The budget situation for SF Environment Dept in particular

SF Environment Department’s proposed General Fund support for climate action programs will be cut by 80% to a mere $540K, down from a peak of $2.9M in FY22-23. This is a 40% cut to the entire department - of which only a small part is allowed to work on achieving all CAP goals. That small part will be almost 100% wiped out and all progress, benefitting frontline communities in particular, will stop. This includes the Climate Equity Hub, launched in April 2024 by SFE, health professionals, contractors, and industry and community partners to provide technical assistance, education, and workforce development services that support citywide electrification.
​On the hopeful side, SFE will receive $800K from SF Public Utilities Commission “work-order” funding to support SFE’s clean transportation, building electrification and healthy environment programs, enabling the department to avoid layoffs this year at least.

What You Can Do:✅  Send a letter to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors asking them to reverse proposed funding cuts to services for working families, immigrants, seniors, youth, LGBTQ+ communities, the homeless and the nonprofit workers who serve them. ✅ Please edit your click-to-send letter  via the People's Budget Coalition to urge City leaders to:
  • restore at least $300K to SFE’s budget for additional clean transportation staffing and
  • restore funding for electrification rebates and incentives so that the crucial, proven-effective Climate Equity Hub continues to exist and help those most impacted by climate change.

June 2 Primary: VOTE for TOM STEYER for GOVERNOR. NO on Prop C, YES on Prop D.

If you haven’t already, it’s time to VOTE NOW for governor of California and we’re writing to urge you to cast your vote for Tom Steyer,  whom we believe is the best candidate in this race by far. He has the vision, integrity, leadership skills, policy knowledge, plans and solutions to make real systemic change in California. He’s not only been on the front lines of climate action for more than 15 years, but has worked for social, racial, and environmental justice as well. He has a track record of progressive policy wins, fighting big oil, utilities, and tobacco companies.

And he’s endorsed by many unions, climate organizations, and progressive leaders, including Bill McKibben, Rebecca Solnit, Robert Reich, and Our Revolution, whose endorsements are well worth reading. Yes, he’s a billionaire and his progressive values have guided how he’s spent his money:        

• As early as 2007, Tom and his wife, Kat Taylor, founded and capitalized Beneficial State Bank, a mission-driven community bank, to advance equitable, socially just, and sustainable banking. Their first branch is in Oakland, with all profits reinvested in the community.
• In 2010, he was the co-chair and lead funder of the bipartisan "No on Prop. 23" campaign that successfully defeated a ballot measure backed by Big Oil seeking to suspend California's landmark climate change law, AB 32 (more info from East Bay Times).
• Then in 2012, he co-led and funded a successful effort to pass Proposition 39, which closed corporate tax loopholes and generated more than $1.7B for energy efficiency upgrades and clean energy projects in schools, supporting thousands of union jobs.
• In 2013, he founded NextGen America, which has become the largest youth voter engagement organization in US history.
• And a year later, he established NextGen Policy, a Sacramento-based, progressive nonprofit organization that fights to advance policies and programs focused on justice and equity for marginalized communities. Since its founding in 2014, NextGen Policy has helped pass over 250 laws and secured more than $50B in state funding to address issues including food insecurity, the impact of climate change, immigration reform, access to healthcare, college affordability, and criminal justice reform.

Tom has specific plans and effective solutions for California's problems including to fund priorities like education and healthcare by closing corporate tax loopholes, to build affordable homes, to lower utility prices, and to defend the climate and environment, to name a few. We have seen him in person and are impressed with his extensive knowledge of all these issues and his plans to bring workable solutions to address the many pressing problems Californians face. For those of you still concerned that two Republicans might win the primary (and are waiting until the last minute to vote for the highest polling Dem), fear no longer! The latest (well-respected, nonpartisan) Emerson College poll showed Becerra ahead and Steyer and Hilton within a point of each other. Everyone else was further down by a good bit, including Bianco. With these numbers, it is now close to impossible that two Republicans could win, and also highly unlikely that the lower polling Dems could win. So, you can cast your vote for Steyer to make a real difference and without worry.

We also want to add our serious concerns about Xavier Becerra here. A vote for Becerra would be a big step backwards for California, particularly on climate action, which he’s taken a back seat on for years. Throughout the current campaign, we’ve found him lackluster, without concrete solutions to address the many problems we face; he seems to mouth general lines from the party establishment and suggests studies as the next step on many issues. Most importantly, he seems to be in corporate pockets. When he was CA Attorney General, he refused to take action against corporate wrongdoing  (would not join other states in suing Big Oil for their years-long disinformation and denial of harm, as AG Bonta has now done.) As AG, he also accepted significant contributions from Big Oil, and in this race he’s accepted the maximum donation from Chevron - the first time they’ve found a gubernatorial candidate to back in a decade - and said “Chevron — that's the problem with politics — they're not the bad guy.” As a member of Congress, he accepted big contributions from major California utilities, including PG&E which is now funding a multi-million dollar attack campaign on Steyer. In addition, we question Becerra’s competence, integrity and honesty. While serving as HHS Secretary, at the very least he was seriously negligent, putting 85,000 migrant kids at risk. And over the years, he’s chosen to surround himself with senior staff and campaign advisors who recently ended up pleading guilty to extensive theft of campaign funds. As Katie Porter noted about electing Becerra, it is "too big of a risk to take."

We hope you will join us and cast your VOTE FOR TOM STEYER FOR CA GOVERNOR! Please vote ASAP: take your ballot to a ballot drop box (location map here) or vote on election day. If you mail in your ballot, at this point it will not be counted until after all the others.

And while you’re at it, please vote YES on PROP D and NO on PROP C! These are dueling measures. Prop C - “Decreases to Business Taxes” - is a corporate tax break that would worsen the City’s budget deficit. It was put on the ballot by big-business advocates including SF Chamber of Commerce, Neighbors for a Better San Francisco, Grow SF, conservative billionaire CEOs - to undermine Prop D. If both pass, only the one with more votes can go into full effect. Vote NO on Prop C. See SF Public Press article for details. Prop D - “Increases to Business Tax Based on Comparison of Top Executive‘s Pay to Employees’ Pay” - was put on the ballot by labor unions and would generate $250M - $300M annually, to mitigate the drastic funding cuts by both the federal “Big Beautiful Bill” and the Mayor’s soon-to-be released City budget proposal. Revenue would all go into the city’s General Fund, thus helping to preserve a wide range of critical city services being cut. Vote YES on Prop D. See another SF Public Press article for details. Yes on D, No on C! Even if D is not perfect, PLEASE vote yes on D so that Prop C doesn’t get more votes and cancel it out.

February Rally to $ave SF’s Climate Action Plan - before, during & after

Coming Up April 6: Land Use & Transportation Committee

​We're all in this together.

February 18. ​$AVE SF’s Climate Action Plan