San Francisco’s elected officials and commissions have a busy week ahead, with neighborhood conditions, public spending, and development among the issues on the agenda. Mayor Daniel Lurie will face questions from supervisors Tuesday about deteriorating street conditions in the Mission and the future of Crocker Amazon Park. Meanwhile, the Land Use and Transportation Committee considers a proposal to rename Cesar Chavez Street, and the Planning Commission mulls a significant add to the city’s office stock.
Las Campesinas Street, more Ellis Act relief
On Monday, the Supervisors’ Land Use and Transportation Committee considers a resolution to rename Cesar Chavez Street Las Campesinas Street, Spanish for “female farmworkers.”
Introduced by Mission Supervisor Jackie Fielder and cosponsored by Board President Rafael Mandelman and Supervisors Shamann Walton and Myrna Melgar, the change seeks to honor women who helped build the farmworker movement while removing the name of its disgraced former leader.
A March investigation by the New York Times revealed extensive allegations of sexual abuse and assault by the labor leader over several decades, which prompted a broader effort to remove his name from public places and institutions. A city working group considered several alternatives before settling on Las Campesinas.
Some Mission business and residents are questioning the proposal, arguing the new name could be cumbersome for businesses, residents and delivery services. The street, formerly known as Army Street, runs approximately 3.5 miles from Diamond Heights through Noe Valley and the Mission to the waterfront.
The committee will also consider a proposal from Mayor Lurie and cosponsored by Supervisors Fielder, Bilal Mahmood and Danny Sauter to increase relocation payments to tenants displaced when landlords invoke the Ellis Act to withdraw rental properties from the market. The committee chair intends to send the proposal to the full Board as a committee report for Tuesday’s meeting.
Tuesday’s full board meeting features question time for the mayor. Fielder will ask him about how the city is distributing community ambassadors to address deteriorating street conditions around Mission District public school zones. The discussion comes amid continuing concerns about public safety, drug use, encampments and street conditions in neighborhoods where children walk to school, and the recent allocation of $12 million by Lurie to counter the problems.
Field of schemes in the Crocker-Amazon?
Meanwhile, District 11 Supervisor Chyanne Chen will quiz Lurie about the Crocker Amazon Park Capital Improvement Project. The park, which straddles the San Francisco-Daly City boundary, is a major recreational resource for southeastern San Francisco. The improvement project focuses on revamping existing baseball and softball fields into six modern diamonds with better lighting and amenities, adding a cricket field, and replacing around 200 trees.
An opposition group, Keep Crocker Real, isn’t happy with the changes. They’ve asked the Planning Department to recognize the existing park as eligible for protection under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and question the addition of artificial turf, stadium lighting, and safety cameras. Chen’s query asks “whether it adequately balances citywide interests with the needs of surrounding neighborhoods.”
Tuesday’s meeting also includes some major spending commitments for homelessness services, including an additional $15.75 million for the city’s contract with the Bayview Hunters Point Foundation for its Bayview Navigation Center, and adding $5 million to an existing contract with Larkin Street Youth Services for its Lark Inn emergency shelter.
More offices in Central SoMa, rental scams, and illegal dumping
Thursday features two hearings at the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee called by Sauter, as well as the Planning Commission considering a significant proposal to add more office space to Central SoMa.
The project at 462 Bryant Street, between Second and Third streets, would add five stories to an existing one-story building, increasing its office space from 13,525 square feet to 63,725 square feet. It would also include 1,660 square feet of production, distribution, and repair space; a green roof; decks; 10 parking spaces; and two loading spaces.
The project requires both an Eastern Neighborhoods Large Project Authorization and an Office Development Authorization. Planning Department staff are recommending approval with conditions.
The proposal is notable because it would add nearly 50,000 square feet of office space at a time when San Francisco’s downtown commercial real estate market continues to face the challenges of elevated vacancies and the post-pandemic shift toward remote and hybrid work, though the AI industry provides a bright spot.
Meanwhile, at the Public Safety Committee, Sauter will preside over two hearings: one addressing the growing problem of rental scams targeting prospective tenants and property owners, and another examining the city’s efforts to combat illegal dumping, another perennial neighborhood complaint.
The first hearing will examine fraudulent rental listings, fake landlords, unauthorized subletting schemes, and the theft or duplication of legitimate listings.
In August, a San Francisco renter reported losing more than $18,000 after responding to a fraudulent Craigslist listing that copied a legitimate apartment advertisement. The victim toured the actual apartment, communicated with someone impersonating the listing agent, and ultimately wired money for a rental that did not exist.
The city’s StopScams SF program has specifically warned renters, particularly young people and immigrants, to verify that anyone offering a property can demonstrate ownership or authorization to rent it.
Sauter has requested reports from the Police Department, the district attorney’s office, the Rent Board, the Mayor’s Office of Housing and Community Development, and other agencies.
The second hearing is timely given a 2025 performance audit of street cleaning services by the Board’s Budget and Legislative Analyst, which found significant shortcomings in the city’s approach to illegal dumping. The audit cited inadequate tracking, inconsistent enforcement, weak collection of fines, and a lack of written procedures for deploying cleanup crews. Public Works will be asked to report on enforcement efforts.
