REP-SF Planning to the People Newsletter: Oct. 2025
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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 Oct. 20 for a Land Use Committee hearing about the Mayor's upzoning – and a rally hosted by Sup. Chan focused on amendments! And join us on Nov. 6 for the introduction of Sup. Chen's Tenant Protection Ordinance at the Planning Commission!
In community,
The REP-SF Team
Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition
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REP-SF Blog: Reflections on ‘Home’ from Tulsa and Fresno
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In a new blog post, REP-SF organizer Priya Prabhakar shares reflections on home:
"This year in April, I had the opportunity to visit Tulsa, Oklahoma for the Spatial Futures Fellowship Convening hosted by PolicyLink. In August, I visited Fresno, California for the Queer Housing Summit hosted by the South Tower Community Land Trust. Jason Wyman / Queerly Complex, Elliot Bailey, and I were co-curators of the More Than Mere Existence art exhibition at the Summit. These in-person gatherings nourished me with conversation, imagination, and connection with those all around the country working towards the same horizon of spatial, housing, and land use justice. As our coalition and communities prepare for the impacts of upzoning, I want to share three reflections drawn from my experiences in Tulsa and Fresno." Read Priya's reflections on our blog!
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REP-SF Press Release: Citywide Community Coalitions Urge Planning Commission to Reject Mayor Lurie’s Upzoning Plan
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On Sept. 11, our communities sent a strong message to Mayor Lurie and his developer lobbyist friends: SF is NOT for Sale!! Tenant advocates, small business owners, affordable housing groups, and families rallied during the Mayor’s press conference and delivered emotional public testimony in strong opposition to the Mayor’s upzoning plan, which seeks to accelerate the demolition and displacement of our communities. While the upzoning passed in the Planning Commission, we will continue to fight against this dangerous plan because our communities deserve better! The City must invest in a real community plan to refocus on affordability and real opportunities for families, seniors, and working people.
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REP-SF & SFADC Press Release: Introduction of the Tenant Protection Ordinance Marks a First Step in the Fight Against Growing Demolition & Displacement Threats
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On Sept. 9, Supervisor Chen introduced the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO), legislation intended to prevent wrongful evictions and mitigate harms to tenants facing displacement due to the demolition and redevelopment of their homes. The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC) and the Race & Equity in all Planning Coalition (REP-SF) thank Supervisor Chen and her staff for their leadership, as well as staff from SF Planning's Community Equity Division for their partnership throughout the drafting process. We look forward to our continued collaboration as we work to strengthen this legislation.
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Community Opposition to Mayor Lurie's Upzoning Plan
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How the west (side) will be won – SF Examiner, Oct. 1: In an article about the Mayor's upzoning plan, Fred Sherburn-Zimmer, organizing director of REP-SF member Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco (HRCSF), stated that there’s a false narrative that there are people who want nothing to change and never want anything tall or new. “We’ve talked to thousands of people and tenants in San Francisco who want to protect their homes and want more affordable housing built,” Sherburn-Zimmer said. “Both of those things can be true at the same time, and that’s different than trusting developers to build whatever.” Shanks writes, "Opponents of Lurie’s plan have sharply criticized it as incentivizing the demolition and replacement of rent-controlled units with market-rate or high-end housing. Sherburn-Zimmer credited supervisors like Chyanne Chen for working to attach renter protections to the plan, but noted such protections are not yet formally part of Lurie’s proposal." Sherburn-Zimmer said: “Tenants know who to trust in this city and, honestly, if anyone is saying this is going to be more affordable housing or there won’t be displacement, they're lying or ignorant."
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New study shows why Lurie’s zoning plan will never make housing affordable – 48Hills, Sept. 24: Read about REP-SF member People Power Media's new report: "Developers aren't building what the city needs. New study shows why Lurie's zoning plan will never make housing affordable." Tim Redmond writes: "In what should surprise nobody who is paying attention to the reality of the local housing market, a new report by People Power Media shows that San Francisco has allowed far too much new housing that most residents can’t afford, and that new market-rate housing has been associated with gentrification and displacement. The City built only about half of what was needed for affordable housing and double what was required for unaffordable, market-rate housing." The report "demonstrates that in neighborhoods that have high populations of people of color, the gap is enormous—and the new housing that has been built has done little or nothing to help. In fact, the report states, the new luxury housing can make the situation worse." Read the report!
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Oct. 20: Upzoning Rally & Hearing at Land Use Committee
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Monday, Oct. 20: Land Use Committee Hearing (starts at 1:30 pm in City Hall, Room 250): Mayor Lurie's upzoning plan will be heard at the Land Use Committee. Join us in urging the City to reject the Mayor’s dangerous displacement plan, and instead invest in a real community plan to refocus on affordability and community stability! Suggested talking points will be provided for public comment! Read our blog post to learn more about SF's upzonings and our community demands: bit.ly/REP_Blog_Rezone
Supervisor Chan Hosting Rally (noon, City Hall Steps): Supervisor Connie Chan is introducing amendments to Mayor Lurie's upzoning plan and hosting a rally on the City Hall Steps ahead of the Land Use Committee hearing.
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Nov. 6: Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) Introduction
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Thursday, Nov. 6: Planning Commission Hearing (starts at noon in City Hall, Room 400): Join us at the Planning Commission for the introduction of Supervisor Chen's Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO). Suggested talking points will be provided for public comment!
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REP-SF Members: Heroes for Housing Justice
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New Report: San Francisco Is Building For Profit, Not People
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We are so excited to share a NEW REPORT by REP-SF member People Power Media, in partnership with the Anti-Eviction Mapping Project! This report provides the most complete picture of who San Francisco developers are building housing for – and who developers are excluding. Its key findings clearly reveal how the City’s housing policies and priorities are producing housing that fails to meet the needs of San Franciscans, particularly low-income communities, people of color, and those working essential jobs in the City. This report affirms what our advocacy has always said: San Francisco’s housing crisis is not about a lack of housing supply – it’s about a lack of affordable housing. San Francisco is building for profit, not people. From 2015–2022, most housing built was unaffordable for the people who live and work here. Read & download the report: peoplepowermedia.org/ppm-report
Watch & share the accompanying Flyover Video, created by LMNL Studio!
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Youth Organizers Reflect on Upzonings & Housing Justice
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REP-SF member Chinese Progressive Association's youth organizing program, Youth Mojo has been learning, engaging, and organizing around housing affordability in SF and the threats posed by Mayor Lurie's upzoning plan. Last Friday in MOJO, youth organizers talked about the housing crisis: how we got here, and how it connects to systems of oppression like capitalism, racism, patriarchy, and homophobia. At the end of summer, Youth Mojo held a housing justice teach-in to educate and engage peers on housing in SF and Mayor Lurie’s plan to allow developers to speculate and demolish our homes and displace youth and families across the city. Watch this video to hear their reflections!
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Tenant Organizing Beats Corporate Greed!
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REP-SF member HRCSF is celebrating an important victory! Tenant organizing works! Bye, bye Veritas! What was once SF’s largest landlord recently received the final nail in the coffin. Over the course of 9 years, Veritas tenants organized to fight back against Veritas’s bullying, harassment, and unfair rent hikes. The result? Veritas has been steadily losing their housing stock, most recently defaulting on this portfolio of 66 properties. When tenants organize and fight back together, we can take on our city’s biggest corporations – and win. Read more in Mission Local.
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Video: Power of Organizing & Community Ownership
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Luis, Matthew, and their neighbors organized for years with HRCSF to protect their homes — and they won. Now, 16 households at 320 14th Street have permanent affordability and housing security. Their story shows the power of organizing and community ownership. REP-SF members HRCSF and the SF Community Land Trust (SFCLT) partnered on a video about their story: Watch & share now!
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SOMA Orgs Honor Filipino American History Month
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REP-SF member SOMA Pilipinas featured in the SF Examiner! SoMa community organizers are celebrating Filipino American History Month by mapping a 10-stop walking tour of neighborhood businesses, parks, art, and other historical sites. The “Tasty Trails” walking tour is a 1-mile walk through The City’s Filipino Cultural Heritage District to honor the annual October recognition of Filipino American History Month. SOMA Pilipinas will hold a kick-off celebration on Oct. 24 from 4–7 p.m., during which you can take a self-guided tour.
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'Sa Amin | Our Place' Community Film Screenings
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For too long, the story of Filipinos in SOMA has gone untold—until now. At recent film screenings on Sept. 30 and Oct. 2, community members experienced the documentary Sa Amin: Our Place, a powerful telling of how Filipinos in San Francisco’s South of Market have fought displacement and built a cultural home through generations of activism, art, and resilience. The film was produced by REP-SF members People Power Media and SOMA Pilipinas, and SF Urban Film Fest.
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Oct. 12: The Inaugural SOMA Pilipinas Pride
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On Sunday, Oct. 12 (12–5PM), be part of history in the making with the first-ever SOMA Pilipinas Pride: MAKIBEKI. Celebrate queer joy, Filipino pride, and the spirit of makibaka with a Pride Procession, a Mini Pageant Program featuring Filipinx performers, and a Resource Fair uplifting our community. Come in your most fabulous Filipino attire, or simply come as you are. Learn more and RSVP!
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MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy Exhibit
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Presented by SOMA Pilipinas in collaboration with YBCA | Open through 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!
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