Supervisors approve tenant disclosure rules, eviction limits and storm emergency

The Board of Supervisors gave final approval to two housing ordinances that change what renters are told before they sign a lease and when a landlord can pursue eviction over unpaid rent. One ordinance requires online listings and lease agreements for residential rental units to disclose the total estimated monthly cost, including rent and required fees. It also lets tenants end a lease early without penalty if required disclosures were not made, and it restricts evictions or late penalties for charges that were not disclosed. The other ordinance bars landlords from evicting residential tenants for unpaid rent below the local fair market rent standard for an equivalent-sized unit. It also deletes obsolete provisions from the Administrative Code. Both ordinances passed finally without objection. The disclosure rule applies to listings and leases, so a renter can see required fees before applying. The eviction rule is separate from the disclosure rule and applies to nonpayment cases.

The board also concurred in the mayor's local emergency proclamation for severe storms. It approved the emergency findings and the concurrence unanimously after taking public comment. The action authorizes emergency agreements and procurement without the standard administrative, civil service and contract requirements if needed. The proclamation covered severe storms anticipated for the region. The vote gives city departments authority to move quickly on storm response and related contracts while the emergency is in effect.

Separately, the board lowered the minimum ceiling height for habitable rooms in existing buildings, with a lower minimum for other rooms. The Housing Code change affirms a second determination and passed finally without objection. The board also approved a Planning Code change that revises the threshold for when a mezzanine counts as a separate story, allowing larger mezzanines permitted by the Building Code. That ordinance also affirms a second determination and passed finally without objection. The ceiling height ordinance sets minimums for existing buildings. The mezzanine change affects how projects count stories under the Planning Code.

Public comment drew the meeting's widest range of disagreement. In-person and remote speakers raised housing enforcement and elevator outages in older buildings, a proposed ban on retail animal sales, gun-violence procurement, and police surveillance cameras. Others raised reparations and a heritage building, domestic-violence awareness, sexual-assault prosecution and warrant practices, a police disciplinary case described as disputed, and a street-renaming process. A remote caller asked for longer rent relief and for changes to how public comment is handled. No vote followed, and the board closed public comment.

Members then introduced several proposals without taking votes. One would extend an interim moratorium on data centers while regulations and impacts are reviewed. Another would ask pension systems to review risks from concentrated artificial intelligence investments and urge federal lawmakers to reject related corporate bailouts. A third would affirm the city's commitment to election integrity and oppose intimidation of election officials and voters. Members also introduced an ordinance to simplify filing under the commercial vacancy tax, a hearing request on collection of sexual orientation and gender identity data, and a resolution following up on a street tree maintenance and sidewalk safety hearing. None of the introductions was voted on.

The board also worked through a long list of uncontested items. It appropriated $658,000 in state revenue for costs of the statewide November 2026 election and accepted a $238,480 federal grant for the Next Generation Warning System Grant Program. The election ordinance covered costs including salary overtime and fringe benefits. The grant will support emergency warning systems. The board approved a block of labor agreement amendments with Service Employees International Union, Local 1021, Laborers International Union, Local 261, and the plumbers and pipe fitters union Local 38. The labor amendments extend contract terms, provide wage increases and include layoff protections for permanent civil service employees. The board gave first reading approval to a revision of firearm and ammunition procurement rules. The ordinance changes minimum qualifications for suppliers and modifies waiver provisions. It also approved a Fire Department surveillance technology policy and gave final approval to a retroactive gross receipts tax credit for small hardware retailers. The board authorized an amended lease for the San Francisco Wholesale Produce Market at Jerrold Avenue and Toland Street, allowing separate parcel leases as needed for real estate security and private construction loans. It adopted a group of airport concession lease extensions for retail and food and beverage operators. A liquor license transfer for T & T Supermarket at 2675 Geary Blvd. was also approved. The resolution found that the transfer would serve public convenience and requested conditions from state alcohol regulators.