Reflecting on REP-SF’s 2025 Advocacy & Impact

Blog
Written By AnaChristina Arana

December 3, 2025

As we approach the end of 2025, the REP-SF coalition is reflecting on our advocacy and impact throughout this past year of organizing, and looking ahead as we continue the fight for housing justice and equity in land use. We are proud to uplift the important wins and success stories of our communities across San Francisco.

2025 has been a year of deep collaboration and powerful, community-driven advocacy. From proposing empowering alternatives to the Mayor’s dangerous upzoning plan to advancing stronger tenant protections, the progress we’ve made together shows what’s possible when we organize across neighborhoods, communities, and movements.

To all of our REP-SF family: Thank you for your unwavering advocacy, dedication, and solidarity. Our power has always come from all of us working in coalition. Thank you for showing up, speaking out, and building collective power. Together, we will continue to work towards a future where planning and land use decisions are made by and for the people!

Year In Review:

Advocacy & Impact:

In 2025, REP-SF’s advocacy and impact focused on these key issues:

  • Opposing the Mayor’s Dangerous Upzoning Plan

  • Advancing Stronger Tenant Protections

  • Advocating for Truly Affordable Housing

  • Tenant Organizing Victories

  • Fighting for a People’s Budget

  • Protecting RV Residents from Displacement

  • Citywide HUD Alliance Building Power

REP-SF has continued to grow and welcomed two new member organizations in 2025: the Coalition on Homelessness (COHSF) and the Chinese Progressive Association (CPASF)!

REP-SF Member Milestones:

This year, some of our member organizations celebrated important milestones with their communities!

  • In July, Senior & Disability Action (SDA) and allies celebrated Disability Pride Month and the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act!

  • In August, South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN) celebrated 25 years of advocacy, community service, and collective achievement!

  • In September, Coleman Advocates celebrated 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! Watch the recap video of their Birthday Benefit Concert!

  • In September, the Coalition on Homelessness (COHSF) hosted its 25th Annual Art Auction! “Housing Heals: Transforming Art into Action” honored 25 years of creative resistance and stories from the frontlines of the housing movement.

January:

  • REP-SF Certificate of Honor from Supervisor Preston: What an amazing way to start the year! We are incredibly grateful to have received a Certificate of Honor from Supervisor Dean Preston and the SF Board of Supervisors in recognition of the REP-SF Coalition's work defending communities from displacement and advocating for equity in city planning and land use.

February:

  • Community Launches Critical Solutions to Keep Residents in SF: On Feb. 27, REP-SF, together with our allied coalitions, the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC) and the Council of Community Housing Organizations (CCHO) threw down for tenants at the SF Planning Commission Hearing we requested to prevent displacement. We presented our comprehensive solutions to ensure residents are able to stay in the city with the escalating threats from upzoning and demolitions. Our coalitions hosted a powerful press conference ahead of the hearing, and our community members and allies delivered over an hour of emotional public testimony. Check out our blog post for video highlights and media coverage of the hearing! Read about our advocacy in 48Hills and SF Examiner.

    The Planning Commission held this hearing on Tenant Protections and Displacement in February, thanks to the initiative taken by Planning Commissioners Williams and Imperial. Since then, we have worked collaboratively and intensively with the District 11 office, particularly Charlie Sciammas, and Planning Department staff Malena Leon-Farrera to draft the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO), introduced by Supervisor Chen in September.

  • REP-SF Organizer Awarded PolicyLink Spatial Futures Fellowship: In February, REP-SF organizer Priya Prabhakar joined the second cohort of PolicyLink’s Spatial Futures Fellowship! Priya works as a Housing & Land Use Organizer and Multimedia Producer at People Power Media. This year as a fellow, she has been working alongside incredible leaders nationwide to advance reparative spatial justice, tackling issues like housing inequity, land displacement, and environmental racism. The Spatial Futures Fellowship aims to support leaders that are visioning our collective futures—where all Black, Indigenous, and Brown people have a secure place to call home.

March:

  • REP-SF Presents at Housing California Conference 2025: On March 6, REP-SF member Dyan Ruiz of People Power Media spoke at the Housing California 2025 Conference! Dyan discussed the REP-SF coalition’s successful advocacy to include over 100 equity-based actions into San Francisco's Housing Element and how we are continuing to push the City and State to put equity and affordability first!

  • REP-SF Receipts: Meeting with Mayor Daniel Lurie: In March, REP-SF and our allied coalition, SFADC met with SF Mayor Daniel Lurie to introduce our coalitions and ensure the City focuses on the over 100 equity-based actions in the Housing Element. Many of these actions are now overdue. We also shared our demands around SF’s proposed upzonings to keep residents and small businesses in the city. We will continue to advocate directly to the Mayor for truly affordable housing and people-centered planning.

  • Huge Community Win! Planning Commission Rejects Landlord Plan to Convert the Mosser Hotel: In a huge community win for tenants, on March 20, the Planning Commission rejected a permit that would have allowed a residential hotel owner to convert 72 rent-controlled units, housing many low-income tenants, to tourist use. Thank you to REP-SF members, South of Market Community Action Network (SOMCAN), all of the community organizations who signed the opposition letter to the Planning Commission, and everyone who spoke at the hearing to stop the conversions! To learn more, read SOMCAN's executive director Angelica Cabande's opinion piece in 48Hills about the fight to save affordable housing and stop the conversion of the Mosser Hotel.

April:

  • REP-SF & Small Business Forward Launch Permanent Citywide Protections for Small Business at SF Planning Commission Hearing: On April 17, REP-SF and member coalition Small Business Forward presented critical community solutions to protect small businesses from threats of displacement due to the City’s upzoning proposal. The Small Business Forward steering committee led a presentation for the Planning Commission focused on our community solutions and demands for permanent citywide protections. After the presentation, small business owners and workers, alongside community organizers from the REP-SF coalition, delivered passionate public comments. Check out our blog post for video highlights of the hearing! Read our press release to learn more. Read more about our advocacy in the SF Examiner: SF upzoning could displace small businesses, advocates warn

  • Policy Win! Public Noticing Legislation for Upzonings: On April 22, Supervisor Chan's proposed legislation to require public noticing for SF's upzonings went to the full Board of Supervisors for a vote and won 8-3 (veto-proof)! Thank you to everyone who signed and shared REP-SF's letter campaign asking City Leaders to support the proposed legislation!

  • “Housing is a Human Right” Day of Action at State Capitol: On April 28, REP-SF members from SOMCAN, SF Community Land Trust, and Housing Rights Committee, and our allies SFADC joined housing allies from across California in unity for health and housing access for all. Hundreds of tenants, advocates, and allies rallied at the State Capitol with Housing Now! California to fight for housing, lower rents, and stronger tenant protections! Thank you to our REP-SF members and allies fighting to keep families housed – in our city and beyond!

  • Veritas Tenants Rent Strike & Fight for Language Justice: For nearly three years, the tenants of 781 O’Farrell have been fighting for basic dignity, repairs, and language justice from their landlord, Veritas Investment, with support from REP-SF members, the Housing Rights Committee (HRCSF). On April 23, they faced a pivotal moment as the first of the remaining strikers entered a Mandatory Settlement Conference with Veritas in court. Standing as a united force, the tenants of 781 O'Farrell gathered to accompany their neighbor and friend. The tenants were sent into the courthouse by a crowd of fellow Veritas residents and community members, chanting and speaking their support for the Veritas Tenants Association (VTA). Read more in El Tecolote: Immigrant tenants lead rent strike movement against San Francisco's largest landlords

May:

  • Community Fight to Oppose “La Muerte” de la Misión (The Death of the Mission): On May 15, over 40 organizations and community members in the Mission District made their voices heard to oppose “La Muerte” and urge Planning Commissioners to advance 100% affordable housing at 2588 Mission St! Developers presented plans for a luxury development at the site of a devastating fire that killed one tenant and displaced many low-income families and immigrant small businesses. Read our blog post to learn more about the community fight to oppose La Muerte: bit.ly/AboutLaMuertedelaMision

June:

  • Fighting for the SF People’s Budget: This year, REP-SF members joined the SF People's Budget Coalition, a powerful alliance of labor unions and nonprofit groups, in calling on City leaders to commit to a clear and transparent budget process that ensures the public has a meaningful way to participate in decisions that impact their lives. On June 4, we joined the People's Budget Coalition for the first direct action in response to the Mayor’s new budget. We rallied to tell the city to put the money where it matters and fund our communities! With a huge turnout from labor unions and community groups, we sent a powerful message to the Mayor that labor and community won't be pit against each other.

    The People's Budget Coalition fought hard for a budget that defended critical services our communities depend on. Just after 2 AM on Thursday, June 26, the Board of Supervisors finalized a revised budget, adding back millions in funds to multiple key sectors of our community. Despite these wins, the cuts run deep, including hundreds of nonprofit and union jobs lost across the city, and millions in support services lost. Thank you to all of our community members for standing strong. Read more from the People's Budget Coalition. For more, read REP-SF member Senior & Disability Action (SDA)'s Budget Recap & Reflections.

  • Defending the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA): On June 30, REP-SF members PODER and SOMCAN went to Sacramento to protect the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA)! Advocates spoke in strong opposition to SB 131, which is an unprecedented rollback of California’s environmental and community protections in CEQA. In an era of harmful rollbacks of environmental regulations on the federal level, Californians must not lose their protections under state law. CEQA is key to reducing and mitigating air pollution, water contamination, and climate impacts that often low-income communities of color must live with long after the developers have made their profits and left. Read more in KQED: California Lawmakers Approve Major Overhaul of Landmark Environmental Law

July:

  • Protecting RV Residents: In July, we supported important actions led by the End Poverty Tows Coalition to oppose the restrictions on RVs and large vehicles that many of our community members call home. Read more in Street Sheet, a publication of the Coalition on Homelessness.

  • HUD Tenants Speak Out – and Mayor Lurie Hears! The Citywide Housing & Urban Development (HUD) Alliance (a growing coalition of public housing tenants from across San Francisco) took their demands directly to the offices of Mayor Lurie to ensure that he personally witnessed the living conditions of HUD tenants in San Francisco. On July 29, residents of Plaza East, Thomas Paine Apartments, and Frederick Douglass Haynes Gardens in the Fillmore walked Mayor Lurie through their homes to show him the conditions they are forced to live in every day. This walkthrough was not initiated by the City; it happened because residents, as part of the Citywide HUD Alliance, organized a rally in front of City Hall and demanded action. Read more from REP-SF member HRCSF.

  • REP-SF Advocacy Platform: On July 31, REP-SF published our Advocacy Platform, which outlines our demands around the City’s upzonings, including advancing affordable housing first, community stability, real family and dignified housing, and affirmatively furthering fair housing. Our Advocacy Platform also focuses on strengthening protections for small businesses and tenants to prevent displacement and support those who have been displaced.

August:

  • MAKIBAKA: A Living Legacy Exhibit: Open 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. Come and see REP-SF member SOMCAN's installation as a featured organization in the exhibition, which features the documentary film produced by People Power Media, “Sa Amin | Our Place,” that tells the story of decades of struggle of the Filipino community to survive in SOMA.

  • More than Mere Existence: A Nothing New Catalog & Virtual Gallery/Exhibition: In August, Queerly Complex and REP-SF member People Power Media collaborated with the Queer Housing Summit to curate More Than Mere Existence, a community art show showcasing Queer & Trans artists fighting for housing, land use, or spatial justice. More Than Mere Existence is an exhibition and a catalog, physically and virtually. Under the “Nothing New” framework, Queer & Trans artists from around the world submitted art which was then showcased on Aug. 23 at the 3rd Annual Queer Housing Summit in Fresno, CA. Forty-three artists submitted works, including REP-SF members! It is a testament to the power of art as a means of self-expression and as a way to bring people together across generations, cultures, identities, and distances. To learn more, read REP-SF organizer’s Priya Prabhakar’s blog post: Reflections on ‘Home’ from Tulsa and Fresno

September:

  • Introduction of Tenant Protection Ordinance Marks First Step in the Fight Against Growing Demolition & Displacement Threats: 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. REP-SF and SFADC 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.

  • Citywide Community Coalitions Urge Planning Commission to Reject Mayor Lurie’s Upzoning Plan: 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 plan 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. Read our press release to learn more.

  • New Report: Who is San Francisco Building For? In September, REP-SF member People Power Media launched a new report, 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! Watch & share the accompanying Flyover Video, created by LMNL Studio! Read more in 48Hills: New study shows why Lurie’s zoning plan will never make housing affordable

  • Tenant Organizing Beats Corporate Greed! In September, REP-SF member HRCSF celebrated 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.

October:

  • Mint Mall & Hall Recognized as a City Landmark, Honoring Significant Filipino American History: REP-SF members SOMA Pilipinas and the SOMCAN spearheaded a successful community initiative to designate the culturally and historically significant Mint Mall and Hall, located at 951-957 Mission St, as a city landmark. The San Francisco Board of Supervisors unanimously approved the Mint Mall and Hall’s landmark designation on Oct. 7, 2025, just in time for Filipino American History Month. The building’s landmark designation report will also be the first of its kind written in both English and Filipino languages. Read more about SOMCAN, SOMA Pilipinas, and the Legacy of Anti-Displacement Advocacy in the South of Market in SF Heritage and Positively Filipino!

  • Community Rallies for Truly Affordable Housing: On Oct. 20, the REP-SF coalition rallied in support of truly affordable housing with tenant advocates, small business owners, affordable housing groups, labor, families, and Supervisors Connie Chan, Chyanne Chen, Jackie Fielder, and Shamann Walton! REP-SF strongly supported Supervisor Chan and Supervisor Chen's proposed amendments to the Mayor's upzoning plan focused on strengthening tenant protections, prioritizing affordable housing, supporting small businesses, creating real family-sized housing, and ensuring sustainable, affordable development. Read our press release.

  • HUD Tenant Assembly: On Oct. 25, REP-SF members SDA & HRCSF, and their housing partners hosted a HUD Tenants Assembly. Participants got up-to-date information about different HUD subsidized housing and a presentation on the current federal changes facing HUD Tenants from the National Housing Law Project. There will be a part two of this assembly in the coming months, with more time devoted to organizing and taking action. From the Fillmore to Chinatown, SoMa to the Bayview, HUD residents are building community and power, and coming together to protect their homes and their future!

November:

  • Youth Commission Honors Coleman Advocates: On Nov. 4, the San Francisco Youth Commission honored REP-SF member Coleman Advocates for their 50 years of continuous advocacy for marginalized and underrepresented youth! Watch Coleman's video!

  • No Tows Without Homes! Protecting RV Residents: On Nov. 5, REP-SF member, the Coalition on Homelessness (COH), in collaboration with RV residents, housing rights, immigrant rights, and homeless rights advocates, held a press conference to demand that the city protect RV residents from displacement and tows. As of Oct. 28, the city’s permitting process to allow temporary exemption to RV residents as they seek alternatives has failed, with only half of over 500 RV residents getting permits as a Nov. 1st enforcement date looms over their heads.

  • Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) Hearing at SF Planning Commission: On Nov. 6, REP-SF, SFADC and our allies spoke at the Planning Commission in support of Supervisor Chyanne Chen’s Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) – legislation to create, clarify, and implement systems of support for tenants that have become necessary because of state laws and local programs that put tenants at increasing risk of displacement. We are grateful to Supervisor Chen, Charlie Sciammas from the District 11 office, and Malena Leon-Farrera from SF Planning for working collaboratively with us and for the long hours they have put into researching, coordinating, and drafting the TPO. This legislation enhances noticing and language requirements, expands relocation assistance, and establishes consequences for tenant harassment, among many other interventions. But there are still significant outstanding issues, as detailed in our letter to the Planning Commission, along with our proposed solutions. We will continue to work on amendments to make it the strongest piece of legislation possible to protect tenants from the displacement that new state laws allow. Read more in 48Hills: With a ‘heavy heart,’ tenant protections move forward at Planning Commission

  • Union at Home Tenant Organizing Toolkit Launch: San Francisco made history as one of the first cities in the nation to recognize a Right to Organize in your building through the Union at Home ordinance. Now, REP-SF members SFADC and the San Francisco Community Land Trust (SFCLT) teamed up to launch the Union at Home Tenant Organizing Toolkit – a resource to help tenants form more unions, build collective power, and take the next step toward community ownership. On Nov. 8, SFADC and SFCLT celebrated the release of the Union At Home Tenant Organizing Toolkit as tenants from the buildings they work with shared their powerful stories of what organizing together can win!

  • KALW Live Town Hall on Upzoning: On Nov. 12, REP-SF members Sharon Ng of Chinatown Community Development Center (Chinatown CDC) & Fred Sherburn-Zimmer of HRCSF participated in a live town hall conversation about Mayor Lurie’s dangerous upzoning plan, hosted by KALW Public Media and SF Public Press. Sharon and Fred highlighted the dangers of the upzoning plan, which will increase speculation and accelerate the displacement of tenants and small businesses across the city. They highlighted the need to protect tenants, support small businesses, and prioritize truly affordable housing. And they shut down disinformation from developer lobbyists on the panel in real-time! Listen to the full conversation!

December:

  • Milestone in Housing Element Implementation: The Board of Supervisors meeting on Dec. 2 marked a significant milestone in the REP-SF coalition's 5-year-long battle to make a difference with the City's Housing Element and its implementation. We've made real progress!

    While the Board approved Mayor Lurie's upzoning plan, the vote was 7-4. Not only were there 4 dissenting votes, but each of those four, Supervisors Chan, Walton, Chen, and Fielder, made strong, compelling remarks that reflected REP-SF's values and advocacy. Supervisor Fielder even acknowledged REP-SF & SFADC.

    Supervisor Chan took the bold step of making a motion to further amend the upzoning by removing all rent-controlled properties, regardless of the number of units, from the Mayor's "local program." She also said that even if her amendment were approved, she still would vote against the upzoning. It was a very strong statement that set the tone for the rest of the conversation that followed. Read more in 48Hills and the SF Chronicle.

    During the Board meeting, Supervisor Melgar also introduced a resolution that will call on the State to amend SB 330, the Housing Crisis Act, so we can eventually amend the Tenant Protection Ordinance (TPO) to provide more rights for tenants.

    We've achieved a lot together and have set the stage for significant victories to come! REP-SF will continue to push for protections for tenants and advance our vision of a more equitable and affordable city. We will be working on significant ballot measure campaigns in 2026! Email info@repsf.org to stay up to date and get involved!

AnaChristina Arana
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