SF Board finalizes renter protections; San Jose reworks youth housing loan

Six ordinances amending the city's 2024-2027 labor agreements with IFPTE Local 21, the Municipal Executives' Association, SEIU Local 1021, the District Attorney Investigators' Association, Laborers Local 261, and Plumbers Local 38. As read by the clerk, they extend the agreements through June 30, 2031, set base wage increases for fiscal years 2027-28 through 2030-31, commit the city to issue no layoff notices and lay off no permanent civil service employees through June 30, 2029, extend provisions that were set to sunset, and (for items 18-22) allow a citywide labor-management committee for fiscal years 2027 through 2031. Final vote. 00:06:16

More on San Francisco's episode

• Finally pass items 17 through 22. Result: passed, same house, same call (11-0). 00:08:11

• The clerk read that the city agrees not to issue layoff notices or lay off permanent civil service employees through June 30, 2029 00:07:28

An ordinance requiring online listings and leases for residential rental units to clearly disclose the total estimated monthly cost, including rent and any required fees and charges. Tenants who did not get adequate disclosure may end their leases early without penalty, and landlords are restricted from evicting or charging late penalties over fees that were not adequately disclosed. Final vote. 00:08:43

More on San Francisco's episode

• Finally pass item 24. Result: passed, same house, same call (11-0). 00:09:22

An Administrative Code ordinance providing that a landlord may not evict a residential tenant for unpaid rent that totals less than the local fair market rent for an equivalent-sized unit, as set by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Final vote. 00:09:49

More on San Francisco's episode

• Finally pass item 26. Result: passed, same house, same call (11-0). 00:10:13

An imperative agenda item, not on the posted agenda: a motion concurring in the Mayor's October 23, 2026 proclamation of a local emergency over severe storms expected to hit San Francisco soon because of El Niño conditions. It also concurs in letting certain city departments sign emergency agreements for goods, services and public works without following some Administrative Code provisions, without Civil Service Commission approval, and without the city's standard contract terms when needed. The board first had to adopt, by at least eight votes, findings that the matter was urgent and came up after the agenda was posted. The motion itself needed a unanimous vote. 02:30:13

More on San Francisco's episode

• Adopt the serious-injury and Brown Act findings for the imperative item, moved by Matt Dorsey (Supervisor, District 6), seconded by Chyanne Chen (Supervisor, District 11). Result: passed, 11-0. 02:32:20
• Concur in the Mayor's local emergency declaration for anticipated El Niño storms. Result: passed, 11-0. 02:34:16

• The clerk read the motion concurring in the Mayor's October 23 local emergency proclamation over expected severe storms 02:30:13
• The Board President explained that two findings needed eight votes before the motion itself could be adopted unanimously 02:31:07

As posted, the resolution would extend three executive search contracts through August 31, 2027 and add $300,000 in total. Ralph Andersen & Associates would go up $200,000, from $250,000 to $450,000. The Hawkins Company would go up $100,000, from $250,000 to $350,000. CPS HR Consulting would get an extension only. Competitive bidding and local business requirements would be waived. The firms recruit for the city's top jobs, including the City Administrator search. Staff cut its request to $75,000, all for Ralph Andersen, and the committee voted 3-1, with Janani Ramachandran (Councilmember, District 4; Chair, Finance and Management Committee) voting no, to recommend the extensions with only that added money. The item goes to the November 10 special City Council meeting, off consent. 01:51:47

More on Oakland's episode

• Zac Unger (Councilmember, District 1; Chair, Public Works and Transportation Committee) moved, seconded by Janani Ramachandran (Councilmember, District 4; Chair, Finance and Management Committee), to extend each of the three agreements through August 31, 2027 with no increase in amount, keeping the requested waivers. Result: withdrawn. 02:11:34
• Zac Unger (Councilmember, District 1; Chair, Public Works and Transportation Committee) moved, seconded by Rowena Brown (Councilmember, At Large; Chair, Community and Economic Development Committee; Chair, Education Partnership Committee), to approve as amended and forward to the November 10 City Council agenda: extend each of the three agreements through August 31, 2027, with no increase except $75,000 to Ralph Andersen & Associates. Result: passed, 3-1. No: Janani Ramachandran (Councilmember, District 4; Chair, Finance and Management Committee). 02:11:55

• City staff said the extensions would keep the firms available while HR prepares a new request for proposals by the end of the calendar year, with departments paying the fees 01:53:44
• City staff listed the recruitments the added money would support 01:53:44
• The committee chair opposed the extensions, citing the cost of executive searches and budget uncertainty, and said the city often hires someone it picked from the start 01:54:03
• A councilmember called the increase too large, said a recent recruitment for a position in his office drew about 220 applications without a search firm, and noted uncertainty over Measure EE and a possible mayor's office restructuring 01:55:05
• A councilmember asked why the city doesn't promote more from within instead of hiring outside recruiters 01:56:02
• City staff said only about $14,000 remains on the contract, not enough for the City Administrator recruitment and others in progress 01:58:49
• City staff said the mayor's office knew about the item and supported at least the Ralph Andersen increase 01:59:11
• A councilmember invited the mayor's office to come back with a proposal for a smaller amount 02:00:09
• City staff asked whether the committee would approve extending only the contract terms, through August 2027 02:04:57
• City staff asked whether a smaller increase would be acceptable so staff can finish current recruitments and pay their bills 02:06:02
• The committee chair said she would not support any increase but was open to extending the term to August 2027 02:06:53
• City staff said money already spent on the contracts went to earlier recruitments, not the ones now listed 02:07:18
• City staff said Ralph Andersen bid on the City Administrator recruitment, and that staff believed the mayor's office had selected it 02:08:45
• City staff reduced the request to $75,000 for Ralph Andersen, for the City Administrator recruitment and the rest of the constitutional policing administrator recruitment 02:09:28

An ordinance authorizing the City Administrator to sell the city-owned 0.6-acre portion of Garfield Park, at 2201-2299 East 17th Street, to the Oakland Unified School District for $597,500 less closing costs, so OUSD can rebuild the Garfield Elementary campus. It also authorizes an agreement letting the city and community use the athletic field on the rebuilt campus, declares the land exempt surplus land, and adopts environmental (CEQA) findings. Staff said the money goes to the general fund, and that if the city didn't sell, OUSD would build up to the current property line, cutting the park in half. 00:24:56

More on Oakland's episode

• Noel Gallo (Councilmember, District 5; President Pro Tempore) moved, seconded by Ken Houston (Councilmember, District 7), to approve the ordinance and forward it to the November 10 special City Council agenda. Result: passed, 4-0. 00:46:06

• City staff said OUSD needs the city's parcel to expand the new school, which is why the sale was negotiated 00:26:57
• City staff said the city would get money for general fund purposes 00:26:57
• City staff said the existing field would be replaced by a new, higher-quality turf field on the campus that the community could use 00:27:59
• City staff said that without a sale, OUSD would build up to its current property line and cut the park in half 00:27:59
• City staff said the OUSD board has already approved the deal and only council approval remains 00:28:59
• A councilmember called the deal long overdue and said the city hasn't maintained this park like its others 00:30:21
• A councilmember said Bay Tech High School a block away could one day lease and use the field 00:30:21
• Ken Houston (Councilmember, District 7) asked why the city would sell instead of granting a long-term lease, such as 100 years 00:31:10
• Ken Houston (Councilmember, District 7) asked why the city didn't swap the land for OUSD property that could be used for housing 00:31:10
• City staff said the city's lease-over-sale policy applies to sites disposed of for permanent development, and here a public agency partner asked to buy 00:32:59
• City staff said the current property line runs through the middle of the park, so moving it and being paid was the more rational outcome 00:32:59
• City staff said the open-space zoning greatly lowers the site's value, so a swap would get the city little 00:34:38
• City staff said the city already has better surplus sites waiting in line for affordable housing, and this one would sit behind them 00:34:38
• Ken Houston (Councilmember, District 7) asked whether OUSD has unused school buildings that could help with housing 00:35:42
• The committee chair urged sticking to the transaction on the agenda and told the questioner to weigh his vote if he disagreed 00:36:40
• City staff said Garfield Park is in poor condition and the project would improve it 00:38:31
• Ken Houston (Councilmember, District 7) said he would vote for the item and only wanted an open public discussion 00:38:58
• A councilmember said the campus is badly cramped and called the deal a win-win 00:39:58
• A councilmember described the park as poorly maintained, with needles, and said the neighborhood needs the investment 00:39:58
• A councilmember asked to be added as a co-sponsor of the ordinance 00:40:58
• The clerk said the clerk's office noted the request in the item history but doesn't add co-sponsors to department-originated items 00:41:32
• A councilmember noted that earlier talks had considered spending the proceeds on a new baseball field, but they now go to the general fund 00:42:31
• City staff said staff tried to direct the money to Parks and Rec but were advised the consolidated fiscal policy requires the general fund 00:42:42

Renaming of the 3.4-acre downtown park, which had carried its namesake's name since 1993. The council's Rules Committee directed the renaming in March after revelations about the namesake. The council chose a new name for the city's central civic plaza, home to events like Christmas in the Park and Jazz Fest, after a community survey with more than 10,000 responses. It also waived the policy criteria that normally keep long-standing names unless there is a sponsorship or contribution. 01:46:50

More on San Jose's episode

• Anthony Tordillos (Councilmember, District 3) moved the staff recommendation: waive the sponsorship and contribution renaming criteria and rename the park Plaza de San José. Result: passed, unanimous. 02:20:46

• City staff said staff were responding to Rules Committee direction given in March after troubling details about the park's namesake came to light 01:47:20
• City staff recounted that the former Plaza Park was renamed in 1993 to honor the farmworker leader after his death 01:49:24
• City staff said the ranked-choice survey drew exactly 10,506 respondents 01:52:37
• City staff said 86 percent of responses came from San Jose ZIP codes and 96 percent from within Santa Clara County 01:53:40
• City staff said 432 of the first survey's 610 suggestions met policy criteria and were consolidated into 88 eligible names, the top five going to a ranked survey 01:53:40
• City staff said staff recommend Plaza de San José based on the engagement surveys 01:55:44
• City staff said staff will issue a request for qualifications for a conservancy at year's end and seek a contract in spring 2027 01:55:44
• City staff said the Parks and Recreation Commission unanimously recommended Plaza del Pueblo de San José on October 7, which staff agreed also conforms 01:56:47
• The mayor said he co-authored the memo starting the renaming process with four councilmembers 02:15:09
• The mayor said the survey turnout shows how much the plaza means to the community 02:17:27
• A councilmember said the council should not dictate the name and the community should lead 02:17:58
• A councilmember said Plaza de San José was the most suggested name by more than two to one 02:19:01
• A councilmember said it drew more first-choice votes than the second- and third-place names combined, then moved the staff recommendation 02:19:01

The council changed how the city's loan for Parkmoor Community Apartments (1510-1540 Parkmoor Avenue, District 6), built by Abode as permanent supportive housing for foster and transition-age youth, may be spent: instead of construction costs, it will pay down the Capital One construction loan. Staff said the developer barely drew on the city loan during construction, a math error went uncaught in 2023, and without the change the building would run at a loss from early 2027. 02:20:48

More on San Jose's episode

• Michael Mulcahy (Councilmember, District 6) moved to approve the conversion to permanent financing; announced with Peter Ortiz (Councilmember, District 5) absent, then, after an aye, recorded as unanimous with all present. Result: passed, unanimous. 02:49:46

• City staff said the developer used only about 4 percent of the city construction loan and later needed the full amount to pay down the senior loan, or it would lose money from day one 02:23:07
• City staff said operating costs came in 8.3 percent above projections 02:24:12
• City staff said Destination Home proposes $950,000 to bridge a cash-flow gap until year fifteen 02:24:12
• Anthony Tordillos (Councilmember, District 3) asked whether construction costs were overestimated and operating costs underestimated 02:26:01
• City staff acknowledged that the department did not catch an error in the sources-and-uses calculation in early 2023 02:26:27
• Anthony Tordillos (Councilmember, District 3) asked why the city only learned of the problem in May 2026, eight months after construction finished in September 2025 02:28:02
• City staff explained the developer was leasing up units before converting the loan and submitting a final budget 02:28:20
• City staff said estimated repayments to the city total about $164,000 until year twelve, with no guarantee after that 02:30:53
• City staff said the department has changed underwriting and shifted toward mixed-income projects that cross-subsidize 02:31:13
• The mayor warned that 100 percent supportive or very-low-income projects statewide are under financial strain and some may surface locally 02:32:30
• A councilmember asked why the developer would choose worse loan terms than the city's 02:33:38
• City staff said the city takes a second lien position after the senior lender, depending on whether the county or the city lends more, with its affordability restrictions above all deeds of trust 02:35:35
• A councilmember raised concern that the project is likely undercapitalized for ongoing maintenance 02:37:43
• City staff said the youth hub's services are county-funded through Behavioral Health Services, separate from building operations 02:39:29
• Pam Foley (Councilmember, District 9; Vice Mayor) objected that paying down a private loan was not what the council approved the money for 02:43:21
• City staff said without the change the property would run negative cash flow by early 2027 and could become a zombie building 02:43:49
• City staff said staff have no indication that any other Abode property is in a similar situation 02:45:01
• Pam Foley (Councilmember, District 9; Vice Mayor) said she would support it reluctantly to protect the young residents, while calling the situation distasteful 02:46:38
• City staff said a risk rubric from the auditor's recommendations is being applied to all 208 tax-credit buildings, and it gives no basis to replace Abode 02:47:38
• City staff estimated the city is taking out about 85 percent of the senior loan and promised the final figure later 02:48:51
• Anthony Tordillos (Councilmember, District 3) asked about another city-funded Abode project under construction on Santa Clara Street; staff reported no issues 02:49:07