REP-SF Planning to the People Newsletter: April 2026
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Paid Opportunity: Fight for Affordable Housing!
Apply by April 10!
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REP-SF member South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) is launching Raising Community Voices, a community-led initiative to identify affordable housing needs and priority development sites along SF's transit corridors. San Francisco city leaders are pushing for new housing development along transit corridors, but too often, the communities most affected by rising costs are left out of the conversation.
To address this, SOMCAN and REP-SF are recruiting 8 San Francisco residents as Community Housing Ambassadors (CHAs) to lead outreach and surveys from May–October 2026. Earn up to $1,680. Bilingual speakers of Filipino, Chinese, and Spanish will be given preference. Apply by Friday, April 10 using the link here.
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REP-SF Blog Post: 'We Brought People Power Media's Housing Report to the 465 Collective!'
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In a new blog post, REP-SF member Priya Prabhakar, organizer at People Power Media (PPM) shares how she and PPM co-founder Joseph Smooke recently joined the Reading Club at 465 Collective – part of Thursdays are for Queers and Comrades, a recurring series that co-creates space for trans, nonbinary, and queer communities, creativity, and organizing in San Francisco. Priya and Joseph brought the Key Findings of People Power Media’s recent report, Who Is San Francisco Building For? and engaged in a discussion around the key question: Why is it so hard to build affordable housing?
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REP-SF Organizer Presents at Housing California 2026
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On March 19, REP-SF member Jeantelle Laberinto, Community Organizer at People Power Media (second from the right) presented at the Housing California Conference on a panel, "Affirmatively Furthering Fair Housing Beyond Development: Reinvestment Without Displacement." Jeantelle discussed REP-SF's Citywide People's Plan, our advocacy around the SF Housing Element, equity actions, the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO), and our current advocacy around the Affordable Housing Circuit Breaker.
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Stop the Tax Giveaway! Protect Affordable Housing Funds!
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In February, Mayor Daniel Lurie and Supervisor Bilal Mahmood announced a tax cut for wealthy real estate investors. As rents climb higher than ever and more than 17,000 affordable languish in the pipeline due to lack of funding, they have proposed a repeal of Prop I. Since San Francisco voters passed Prop I in 2020, it has delivered more than $200 million for affordable housing, rent relief, and building preservation with real results. These funds have kept families housed, protected our communities, and supported new affordable housing opportunities. Join REP-SF and our allied coalition, the SF Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC), in taking action: Send a letter to the Board of Supervisors telling them to reject this proposal to cut taxes on the richest corporate real estate owners at the expense of working San Franciscans. Please share this letter-writing campaign with your community!
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April 7: 524-526 Vallejo/4-4A San Antonio Appeal Hearing
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Tuesday, April 7, 3–5 pm | Board of Supervisors Meeting | City Hall, Room 250
REP-SF and our allied coalition SFADC strongly oppose the Conditional Use Authorization (CUA) appeal at 524-526 Vallejo/4-4A San Antonio. We are urging the Board of Supervisors to deny the proposal to approve the illegal conversion of a four-unit apartment building into a single-family home, with or without the addition of an ADU. If the Board overrides the findings of Planning staff and the Planning Commission, it would be creating a significant new loophole to our existing laws that require public approval for conversions and demolitions and undermining our ability to preserve and protect thousands of homes. Join us in turning out for public comment at the hearing!
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April 7: SF People's Budget Town Hall
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Tuesday, April 7 | 7–8:30 pm | 2070 Mission St.
San Francisco is facing over $100 million in proposed cuts to community services. Join our allied coalition, the SF People’s Budget Coalition, for a Town Hall to learn what’s happening, understand how budget decisions are made, and get involved in the fight to protect our communities. When we fight, we win! Times are hard, but you can do something about it; Join the Town Hall and be part of the fight for a People’s Budget.
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Tell HUD: Keep Families Together!
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The current administration is proposing a rule change that would prohibit families with mixed immigration status from receiving housing assistance or living in federally-subsidized housing programs like public housing and Section 8. If adopted, Trump’s proposal would force families to either separate to keep some members housed or face eviction and homelessness all together. We blocked this cruel and harmful rule in 2019 through a massive comment campaign and it’s time to do it again! Join fellow San Franciscans and advocates across the country in submitting your comment at bit.ly/mixedstatus before the comment period closes on April 21.
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Take Action with REP-SF Members WSTA & HRCSF
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REP-SF member, the West Side Tenants Association (WSTA) and SF Tenant Autonomous Neighborhood Councils (SFTANC) have been collaborating together and organizing tenants in Parkmerced since 2024. Parkmerced is the largest rental development in SF, over 3,000 units, and is in receivership since its previous owner, Maximus Corporation, defaulted on a $1.8 billion loan. Tenant associations/unions have formed in several towers and organizers are canvassing there and Parkmerced Tenants Association has formed to challenge the company, Douglas Wilson Corporation, on numerous serious habitability issues. There is also a campaign working with tenants in the townhouses facing severe mold issues.
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WSTA members along with SFTANC are joining REP-SF member Housing Rights Committee (HRC) in supporting tenants on rent strike in a 23-unit building at 907 Valencia. The tenants now enter their second month of rent strike! Since tenants started withholding rent money, Mosser began in-unit repairs, but it's not enough. Tenants continue the strike into April, demanding Mosser provide them with a timeline and plan for completing fire repairs, compensation for the conditions tenants have endured, and complete the remaining in-unit repairs.
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You can support the tenants by signing the community support letter at bit.ly/907valencia! More information on future events and actions coming soon.
Save the Date: WSTA’s monthly general meeting is Thursday, April 30 at 6:30 pm at a location on the Westside. The topic is: The International Hotel - The Struggle for Housing Justice - Looking at History and How We Together Move Forward! If you have any questions, please contact Steve Leeds (sleeds@riseup.net).
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REP-SF Members: Community Heroes
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Safe Schools Now! Protect Students and Families!
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REP-SF member SOMCAN's Youth Organizing Home and Neighborhood Action (YOHANA), a youth-led program that works within the neighborhoods on issues that affect the community, rallied on Tuesday, Mar. 24, to establish the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD) as a Safe Haven for its students. This action by YOHANA was prompted by the imminent threat of federal immigration enforcement in the Bay Area last October 2025, which spread fear and concern across San Francisco, a sanctuary city made up of a diverse immigrant community.
SFSUD’s email-only response was not enough, causing many students to stay home, highlighting the need for stronger leadership and clearer communication. Although SFSUD acknowledged the fear that federal immigration enforcement has caused, it has not been adequate in fully addressing the concern that students and their families have when they are in school. In response, YOHANA led a rally with 15 other community organizations last Tuesday to hold SFUSD accountable to following the law and providing a safe and welcoming environment where every student has the right to receive a high quality education and necessary support, regardless of their immigration status.
Learn more about the campaign. Photos above by Wilfred Galila.
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Women's History Month: SF SafeHouse Recognized
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This Women's History Month, REP-SF member San Francisco SafeHouse was recognized by the SF Department of Homelessness and Supportive Housing! In their article, they highlight SF SafeHouse's newest program, 101 Gough Bridge Housing for Women & Children:
"This Women’s Empowerment Month, SafeHouse reminds us that empowerment starts with meeting basic needs, and that safe, stable housing is essential to that foundation...Investing in women strengthens families, improves health outcomes, and builds more resilient communities for everyone."
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April 20: Celebrating Black Leadership and Racial Justice Work
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Breathing Out | Book Reading: Monday, April 20 | 6–7:30 pm | 518 Valencia St.
You're invited to an uplifting and thought-provoking evening with Whitney Parnell, author of Breathing Out: Ruminations of a Millennial Black Woman. In her debut book, Whitney shares powerful reflections drawn from her years of activism, running a Black-led nonprofit, and navigating the world as a Black woman today. The conversation will dive into her stories, unpack her insights on today’s cultural climate, and explore what it means to actively live out Allyship and pursue racial justice in our daily lives. All proceeds support Service Never Sleeps—the nonprofit Whitney founded to empower individuals and communities to advance social justice through service and Allyship.
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May 20: Spring Into Action: SDA's Annual Celebration
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Wednesday, May 20, 5:30–8 pm | First Unitarian Universalist Church & Center of SF
Spring Into Action: REP-SF member Senior & Disability Action (SDA)'s 2026 Annual Celebration is coming up in under two months! This event will include a variety show and social with wonderful performers from our senior and disabled communities, food and drink, and good company! Celebrate SDA's work over the last year and help raise money to continue their crucial organizing and education work in 2026 and beyond. As we face funding cuts from the SF Department of Disability and Aging Services, your support is especially vital right now! Get tickets! Learn about volunteer opportunities and sign up here!
SDA is hiring a Community Organizer (Housing Focus)! Apply by April 7!
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Invite Your Communities to Subscribe to Our Newsletter!
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Our monthly Planning to the People newsletter (that you are reading now!) provides the latest news and ways to take action on behalf of grassroots communities for housing justice and equitable city planning – all in one place! Help us build our momentum by encouraging your networks and communities to subscribe to our newsletter: Share our subscription form!
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