Introduction of the Tenant Protection Ordinance Marks a First Step in the Fight Against Growing Demolition & Displacement Threats
PRESS RELEASE for Tuesday, Sept. 9, 2025
San Francisco, CA — Today, 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, San Francisco (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 in the weeks to come as we work to strengthen this legislation.
In its current form, the legislation does not yet offer a set of protections commensurate with the threats tenants currently face nor those that will intensify in the event the present upzoning proposal is adopted. “We must do everything we can to prevent speculators and other bad actors from harassing tenants with the goal of displacing them from their long-term homes for short-term profits,” says Meg Heisler of SFADC.
We will continue working to ensure this legislation:
Requires disclosure of plans to demolish and early noticing of rights to tenants;
Prevents wrongful evictions and holds landlords accountable for bad behavior;
Guarantees the maximum possible relocation assistance allowed under the law; and
Enforces tenants’ rights to return to a comparable unit should their building be redeveloped.
“We hope that the TPO will provide tenants with essential tools to defend against displacement and ensure they are able to stay in San Francisco,” says Joseph Smooke of REP-SF. “The fact that state law and the proposed upzoning allow for the demolition of existing rent-controlled apartments, even if they're occupied by tenants, is a new threat that requires a strong response. San Franciscans deserve to continue living in their communities without fear of being displaced.”
We want to be clear that this legislation alone is not enough to mitigate the harms caused by Mayor Lurie’s upzoning plan or the host of state laws incentivizing the displacement of our communities. SFADC’s and REP-SF's work on the TPO began in response to the Housing Crisis Act of 2019 (SB 330)—a state bill that overrides local controls and enables the demolition of rent-controlled, tenant-occupied housing—and it has only become more urgent.
“With state-level density bonuses already in place, tenants across the city are facing increased displacement pressures from profit-driven speculation, including through evictions, informal buyouts, harassment, intimidation, and renovictions. We know that the Mayor’s upzoning plan will only exacerbate these issues and make tenants increasingly vulnerable to displacement,” says Fred Sherburn-Zimmer of the Housing Rights Committee of San Francisco.
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About the San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC)
The San Francisco Anti-Displacement Coalition (SFADC) is a group of tenant organizations and allies who organize against the soaring evictions and rent increases in our city, which have resulted in the displacement of thousands of San Franciscans.
