REP-SF Planning to the People Newsletter: Aug. 2025
|
Our REP-SF Planning to the People newsletter 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! Read our full newsletter here!
Take Action: Join us on Sept. 11 for an important hearing about SF's proposed upzonings!
Upcoming Events: Join our member organizations for exciting community celebrations this August and September!
In community,
The REP-SF Team
Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition
|
Sept. 11: Join Us for a Critical Hearing about SF's Upzonings
|
Thursday, Sept. 11: Planning Commission Hearing (starts at noon, Room 400): During this hearing, the Planning Commission will vote on the "adoption" of the upzoning. This is the final step before the upzoning goes to the Board of Supervisors. Please join us in voicing our concerns about the upzoning! It is time for the City to advance our community solutions for equity, affordability, and stability to prevent displacement of tenants and small businesses. Suggested talking points for public comment will be provided! Learn more in our blog post on SF's proposed upzonings and our community demands: bit.ly/REP_Blog_Rezone
We are also planning to hold a rally ahead of the hearing. More info coming soon! Contact info@repsf.org to get involved!
|
New Member: Welcome, Chinese Progressive Association!
|
We are so excited to welcome the Chinese Progressive Association (CPA) as the newest member of REP-SF! We are honored to be working in solidarity with CPA and their youth leaders organizing to advance housing justice. Founded in 1972, CPA educates, organizes, and empowers the low-income and working-class immigrant Chinese community in San Francisco to build collective power with other oppressed communities to demand better living and working conditions and justice for all people.
|
WATCH Video: Impacts of Upzoning on San Francisco
|
REP-SF strongly opposes Mayor Lurie’s upzoning plan, which does not serve families, will make rent more expensive, will increase the displacement of tenants and small businesses, and will make it impossible for San Francisco to develop the affordable housing we desperately need. We are united with communities across the city in saying: Don’t Demolish San Francisco! We urge the City to put truly, permanently affordable housing first, to support families, and to prevent the displacement of tenants and small businesses.
Watch our new video and share it widely with your communities! Read our blog post to learn more about the upzonings and contact info@repsf.org to get involved!
|
New Report: "OUR HOMES, OUR FUTURE: Building the Power to Win Rent Control for Stable Communities"
|
A new report co-authored by our friends at PolicyLink, the Right to the City Alliance, and Popular Democracy in Action is an important tool for the housing justice movement. Our Homes, Our Future: Building the Power to Win Rent Control for Stable Communities is the most comprehensive guide to date for organizers, advocates, and policymakers working to advance and strengthen rent control. The report details how rent control is not only necessary—it’s politically viable, broadly popular, and a key tool for creating more stable, thriving communities. It also exposes the forces standing in the way. With new data, historical analysis and case studies, the report affirms what our communities has been saying for decades: the private market, and deregulation alone, will not solve the affordable housing crisis. Read the full report here!
|
MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy Exhibit
|
Presented by SOMA Pilipinas in collaboration with YBCA | Aug. 1, 2025–Jan. 4, 2026
MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy boldly celebrates the culture, contributions, and presence of the Filipino community in the South of Market (SoMa) neighborhood and Bay Area. Presented by REP-SF member SOMA Pilipinas in collaboration with YBCA, and inspired by the Filipino term for collective resistance, MAKIBAKA brings together contemporary artworks alongside community-held objects, memories, and movements. It traces the presence of a people who have shaped – and continue to shape – San Francisco through survival and the labor of building culture, kinship, and home. MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy understands legacy as ongoing struggle, carried forward by artists, elders, mothers, tenants, workers, and youth. Come and see REP-SF member South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN)'s installation as a featured organization in the exhibition. Get your tickets now!
|
August 9–10: 32nd Annual Pistahan Parade & Festival
|
The Pistahan Parade kicks off the largest Filipino fair on the West Coast. The free 2-day outdoor event is fun for the entire family and features hands-on and authentic cultural experiences in 8 pavilions: Art, Culinary, Dance, Health, Heritage, Innovation, Sports, and Tavern. The Pistahan is a showcase of folk dance groups, variety entertainers, emerging talents, and headline artists. The Festival supports local artisans, food vendors, entrepreneurs, and more, and it provides opportunities for guests to discover Philippine history, heritage, and traditions. Learn more!
|
August 14: SDA's Annual CommUNITY Celebration
|
Join REP-SF member Senior & Disability Action (SDA) next week for its Annual CommUNITY Celebration on Thursday, August 14, 6 to 8 pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church (1187 Franklin St, SF). The event will include a variety show, celebrating our communities and collective resistance as we raise money to support our ongoing organizing and education work. Buy tickets and sign up for volunteer opportunities here!
|
August 22: 16th Annual GLIDE Summer Gala
|
Join REP-SF member GLIDE for its 16th Annual Summer Gala at The Phoenix Hotel on Friday, August 22nd. Get ready for an unforgettable night of dancing, connection, and purpose as we fuse party energy with progressive action—because changing the world should feel like a celebration. Gala proceeds will go towards fighting poverty in the Tenderloin, championing civil rights, and revitalizing downtown San Francisco. Get your tickets here!
|
August 29: Celebrate SOMCAN's 25th Anniversary!
|
Join REP-SF member SOMCAN for its 25th Anniversary celebration at SOMArts Cultural Center on Aug. 29 at 6 pm! Be part of an inspiring evening dedicated to honoring two and a half decades of advocacy, community service, and collective achievement. Enjoy a night filled with engaging speakers, performances, and opportunities to connect with fellow community members and supporters who share a commitment to uplifting the voices of our most vulnerable neighbors. Get your tickets now! www.somcan.org/25th-anniversary
|
Sept. 11: Housing Heals: Transforming Art Into Action
|
Join REP-SF member, the Coalition on Homelessness for its 25th Annual Art Auction! A powerful evening celebrating art, community, and housing justice. This year’s theme, Housing Heals: Transforming Art into Action, honors 25 years of creative resistance. The event will feature original artwork from Bay Area artists, live performances, food and drinks, and stories from the frontlines of the housing movement. Spread the word, bring a friend, and share this event to amplify the movement for housing justice! Silent auction online bidding opens on Sept. 2! Buy tickets here!
|
Sept. 13: Coleman Advocates 50th Birthday Benefit Concert!
|
REP-SF member Coleman Advocates is celebrating 50 years of working towards racial and economic justice through building the leadership and power of Black and Brown students and families in San Francisco. Enjoy fun performances from Bay Area artists while indulging in delicious food and beverages from local vendors, enter raffles for amazing prizes, and support a Black and Brown, intergenerational community organization. Get your tickets!
|
Invite Your Communities to Subscribe to Our Newsletter!
|
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!
|
|
