Supervisors ask city departments whether federal immigration agents are using public garages

The Board of Supervisors introduced a letter of inquiry at Tuesday's meeting asking city departments to explain whether publicly owned garages and parking lots are being used by federal immigration enforcement, and whether the contracts behind those facilities comply with the city's sanctuary ordinance.

The letter, introduced during roll call for introductions, covers garage and lot contracts, sanctuary-law compliance and disclosure of subcontractors. Supervisors acted after reports that immigration enforcement had staged operations from city parking facilities. An introduction carries no vote, so the letter does not compel any department to answer, but it puts the request on the record. San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance generally bars city staff from using city resources to help federal immigration enforcement.

Public comment ran along the same lines. Speakers pressed the board on immigration enforcement and sanctuary protections, while others raised safety for the transgender community, the recognition and naming of a heritage month, risks from artificial intelligence and recent cybersecurity incidents. Several speakers criticized how the city has handled heritage-month recognitions and the treatment of the community involved; others asked for action against federal enforcement and for rules on AI. The board took no action on the comments, and the comment period closed after no remote callers remained.

Renters would get plainer written notice of their protections under an ordinance the board passed on first reading. The Administrative Code change requires landlords to give residential tenants notices about rent increase limits and just-cause eviction rules under the Rent Ordinance and the California Tenant Protection Act of 2019, the state law that extended those protections beyond cities with their own rent rules. It also addresses how a unit's certificate of occupancy date is handled, and it directs the Rent Board to assist landlords and tenants working through the rules. The ordinance passed without objection.

Two grant amendments for homeless services moved through without discussion. The board approved a fourth amendment to the city's grant to Five Keys Schools and Programs for the Baldwin SAFE Navigation Center, extending the term and raising the not-to-exceed amount to $55,624,790. It also approved a second amendment to the Conard House grant covering the Allen, Aranda, and McAllister Hotels, which pays for support services, property management and master lease stewardship, raising that total to $32,803,756. The amendments extend how long the city can keep paying for an existing navigation center and three hotel-based housing sites, and raise the caps on what it can spend.

The board also appropriated $3,940,000 from the General Reserve to the Mayor's Office of Housing and Community Development for rent relief support services this fiscal year. The ordinance needed a two-thirds vote and passed its first reading without objection.

Supervisors approved a loan purchase agreement for 2059-2065 Mission Street, where the city is putting financing behind a mixed-use building that will be held as 100 percent affordable housing. The agreement covers acquisition, rehabilitation and permanent financing, with a not-to-exceed total of $22,157,500 and MEDA Small Properties, LLC as the borrower. It was adopted without objection.

A resolution urging the San Francisco Unified School District to adopt a predictable, neighborhood-based student assignment system also passed without objection. The resolution says the system should give families greater certainty about where children will attend school, strengthen neighborhood schools and prioritize proximity at every grade level. The board does not set district assignment policy, so the resolution is a recommendation to the district rather than a directive.

Supervisors endorsed changes to how the city maintains street trees and repairs sidewalks damaged by roots. The resolution backs more staffing and operational capacity at Public Works, modernized technology, greater public transparency, streamlined service requests and easier access for residents to maintenance services. It lists a more predictable pruning schedule, expedited hiring for funded vacancies, better tracking of 311 requests, a simpler online process for residents who want to hire their own arborist or opt out of city pruning, and a progress report in six months. The sponsor tied the resolution to commitments made at an October 22 hearing of the Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee and to residents' expectations for safe sidewalks and clear information about when problems will be fixed.

Members also introduced new business on waterfront community benefit district funding, marine fuel services for emergency response and an extension of local business pilot programs, and asked that the meeting be closed in memory of a labor and civil-rights leader.

The rest of the calendar moved without debate. The board adopted a 12-item consent agenda on an 11-0 vote that included a $400,000 settlement the city will receive from Genasci Dairy, Inc. and a $350,000 settlement involving Joe Fong and Soon Kang. Separately, supervisors approved without objection a $38,000,000 agreement with Professional Business Providers, Inc. for baggage handling systems and passenger boarding bridges at Terminal 2, a $4,000,000 federal brownfields cleanup grant for India Basin Shoreline Park, and a funding agreement of up to $70,893,613 tied to UCSF Health Hyde Hospital at 900 Hyde Street. They designated the Jefferson Airplane House at 2400 Fulton Street a city landmark and exempted required rooftop restrooms from building height calculations.