Earlier today, the City released its first report on mixed-income social housing development, concluding that the model can be financially feasible in San Francisco. As San Francisco works to deliver 46,000 new affordable homes under its Housing Element, the report on municipally sponsored social housing offers an exciting path forward for the incoming administration.

As the city faces a massive deficit, an explosive new audit from the Budgaet and Legislative Analyst finds that the San Francisco Police Department (SFPD) broke laws and policies related to overtime spending and usage, failed to provide oversight of overtime usage and approvals, and failed to enforce provisions of city’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Police Officers Association. The audit was requested by Supervisor Dean Preston, Chair of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, after the San Francisco Police Department overspent its overtime budget by $55.6 million in March 2023, which required the Board to appropriate $25 million in additional funds to cover the department’s overspending. 

Supervisor Preston called on Mayor Breed’s Administration to commence negotiations to acquire the Webster Safeway site. In a formal Letter of Inquiry, Preston urges the Mayor to explore all tools, including eminent domain if necessary, to acquire the lot for a full service grocery store and affordable housing. 

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston announced on Tuesday 4Pillars4Success : a groundbreaking and comprehensive roadmap to tackle San Francisco’s drug crisis. Per Supervisor Preston’s request in January,  a 118-page analysis was researched and written by the city’s independent Budget and Legislative Analyst, who worked with local, national, and international experts and departments, including officials from San Francisco, New York, and Zurich, Switzerland to explore successful strategies and flag potential improvements to our local response. This model has reduced overdose deaths by over 60% in Zurich, while also dramatically improving street conditions, and crime related to drug dealing and use, including a 98% reduction in theft.

Earlier today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Supervisor Preston’s Neighborhood Grocery Protection Act. Supervisor Preston’s Grocery Protection Act mirrors legislation from 1984, passed by the Board of Supervisors but vetoed by then-Mayor Feinstein , that would have required notification and community involvement when a neighborhood-serving grocery store closes.

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously voted in favor of District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston’s resolution to support Proposition 6, a state ballot measure that will prioritize public safety and rehabilitation by ending the last legal vestiges of slavery in California. Proposition 6 has broad support from organizations like All of Us or None, ACLU California Action, Young Women’s Freedom Center, Communities United for Restorative Youth Justice (CURYJ), Law Enforcement Action Partnership, and the San Francisco Labor Council. The measure also has endorsements from local Democratic clubs and various news publications throughout the state. 

The Board of Supervisors on Tuesday unanimously approved Supervisor Dean Preston’s ordinance to require more transparency from San Francisco’s Street Response Teams. The passage of the ordinance comes following a year of working closely with the teams to improve coordination and the release of public information, including Preston’s push for a comprehensive program auditof the teams and Preston’s partnership with the Department of Emergency Management, Department of Public Health, Fire Department, and Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing to present the first-ever annual report for the teams. The annual report includes key goals, data, and metrics to track successes and areas of improvement for teams like the Homeless Outreach Team, Healthy Streets Operation Center, Street Crisis Response Team, Post Overdose Engagement Team, and others.

District 5 Supervisor Dean Preston on Tuesday called for the Board of Supervisors to support Proposition 6, a state ballot measure which will prioritize public safety and rehabilitation by ending the last legal vestiges of slavery in California. Proposition 6 has broad support from organizations like ACLU California Action, the Anti-Recidivism Coalition, Legal Services for Prisoners with Children, Glide, All of Us or None, and the San Francisco Labor Council. The measure also has endorsements from local Democratic clubs and various news publications throughout the state.

After a year of significant progress on transparency and coordination among the City’s street teams, Supervisor Dean Preston on Monday partnered with various departments to present the first-ever annual report for San Francisco’s Street Response Teams. The report was created following a comprehensive program auditcommissioned by Preston, as well as Preston’s proposed ordinance to codify the requirement for an annual report to improve transparency for both policymakers and the public. The ordinance, which will apply to street teams like the Homeless Outreach Team, Healthy Streets Operation Center, Street Crisis Response Team, Post Overdose Engagement Team, and others, was unanimously approved today by the Rules Committee of the Board of Supervisors. 

Governor Gavin Newsom announced today that a developer has been selected and plans will move forward for a 100% affordable housing development on the DMV lot at 1377 Fell Street. Assemblymember Ting and Supervisor Preston have been working with state officials since early 2023 to pivot the site to affordable housing. 

Today, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved Supervisor Preston’s resolution in support of the Homes Act by Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D - NY) and Senator Tina Smith (D - MN). The legislation aims to tackle the housing crisis by establishing a national Housing Development Authority to create 1.25 million housing units, including 876,000 for extremely and very low-income households.

Today, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved renaming the 1500 Block of Grove Street to “Aubrey Abrakasa Jr., Street” in memory of a young man whose life was tragically cut short, and his mother’s unwavering fight for justice. The commemorative street renaming honors Aubrey Abrakasa, Jr., a 17-year old who was fatally shot near his home on August 14, 2006, in an still-unsolved murder.

The City’s unprecedented investment in Single Room Occupancy (SRO) elevator repairs, championed by Supervisor Dean Preston, took a major step forward as 14 SROs, consisting of 1,391 homes, were tentatively awarded elevator grants totaling $10 million. The funds are part of an elevator repair fund that Supervisor Preston, who represents the Tenderloin, created through the 2022 budget. The fight to get the funds out the door has become a crusade for Preston who ramped up pressure after the Mayor’s Administration blew repeated deadlines for issuing notices of funding availability. Preston praised the announcement of awards.

Today, conservative blogger Susan Dyer Reynolds stipulated to dismiss her lawsuit, filed on behalf of the Marina Times, against Supervisor Dean Preston. The lawsuit will be dismissed “with prejudice,” meaning it cannot be refiled. Under the stipulation, Reynolds will get none of the relief requested in her lawsuit.

New 2024 Point-in-Time (PIT) Count data – which chronicles how many unhoused people there are across San Francisco every 2 years – reveals a remarkable 21% decrease in unsheltered homelessness in District 5, with numbers falling from 1,225 to 975 since the 2022 PIT Count. The new data, announced today, demonstrates the clear impact of policies based on providing housing and supportive services to those who lack housing.

After the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed Supervisor Preston’s resolution on April 12 calling for the Housing Authority (SFHA) to fully leverage the “Faircloth-to-RAD” program provided by the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (“HUD”), the Housing Authority has released its plan to build and rehab 3,667 Units of Deeply Affordable Housing in San Francisco. The announcement provides a pathway for new deeply affordable rental units with a permanent federal subsidy in San Francisco.

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors passed Supervisor Dean Preston’s resolution to support the Justice for Renters Act which would repeal the state Costa Hawkins law that limits local rent control. By an 8-2 vote, the Board affirmed the City’s long-standing support for repealing the 30-year-old state law that has prevented San Francisco and other cities from adapting their rent control laws to meet the ongoing housing affordability crisis.

In a major victory for public safety and community engagement, funding for San Francisco’s Community Ambassador Program (CAP), run through the Office of Civic Engagement and Immigrant Affairs (OCEIA), has been restored in a tentative budget deal announced yesterday evening. The funding will allow the only City-operated community ambassador program – consisting of 60 ambassadors – to continue to operate. The popular program was defunded in the Mayor’s proposed budget and would have been forced to shut down in the upcoming fiscal year if not for the Board’s action.

On Tuesday, June 25th, Supervisor Dean Preston, Chair of the Government Audit and Oversight Committee, filed a new inquiry into the San Francisco Police Department’s plans to acquire military equipment. Per a recently-posted report, the Police Department is seeking to acquire a plethora of military gear, and is “exploring” for the first time the use of controversial police robot dogs. The bombshell disclosure from SFPD came after the department missed its January 2024 deadline to lay out military equipment plans and Preston and his team formally and informally pressed the department to file its legally-mandated annual report pursuant to Assembly Bill 481 (Chiu). After five months of delay, SFPD quietly uploaded its report to its website on June 11th without notifying the Board.

In a major win for food security advocates and low-income families across California, including over 100,000 San Franciscans, the Market Match program has secured continued funding following months of grassroots advocacy by a coalition of hunger organizations, nutrition advocates, and community leaders in the face of proposed budget cuts in the Governor’s budget.