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President A new mayor looks to streamline government Indeed, San Francisco has a new mayor who recently marked his 100th day in office. During these critical three months, Daniel Lurie launched his PermitSF program that strives to make the city's permitting system customer-focused, faster, and more transparent. "By streamlining the permitting process, strengthening accountability, and deploying new technology, PermitSF will help drive the city's economic recovery by assisting residents and small business owners navigate the permitting process more easily," say proponents.

Defeat of Prop. 33: a decisive moment
Things certainly seem possible when it comes to having our voices heard in Sacramento. Only last year, defeating Prop. 33—rent control zealots' third attempt to repeal Costa-Hawkins—seemed doubtful, but through the efforts of CalRHA, SPOSFI, and many other property rights organizations, the impossible was made possible. Prop 33 was defeated by nearly 20%—a victory truly worth celebrating. As attorney Daniel Bornstein wrote recently: "Eat your heart out, San Francisco lawmakers and others who were salivating at the opportunity to expand rent control."

AB 1157: a new rent control challenge
Looking ahead to the next threat, Josephine Zhao and other devoted SPOSFI members organized a bus trip last month to Sacramento to protest AB 1157 before the Committee on Housing and Community Development. AB 1157 seeks to permanently tighten California's tenant protection laws, restricting affordable rental stock provided by small property owners. The bill would drastically lower the annual rent increase to 2% plus the cost of living (capped at 5%). It would extend rent control to single-family homes and condos and mandate relocation assistance for no-fault evictions. Violators face civil penalties and up to triple damages.

San Francisco rents are finally recovering
Is it possible that rents could actually be going up? "After the past few years of declines, San Francisco rent prices are starting to climb again with apartments that had emptied out during the pandemic filling back up," reports Christian Leonard of the San Francisco Chronicle. According to Apartment List, an online marketplace for apartment listings, "The median asking price for a one-bedroom apartment in the city was about $2,810 a month as of this February— over 5% higher than the $2,670 estimated in February 2024." Unlike many other California cities, however, San Francisco still has lower rents than it did before the pandemic—down by about 14% from its July 2019 peak of $3,270.

With a new Mayor, streamlined permitting, and active, engaged SPOSFI members, all things do seem possible, and not just in May.

Thank you, congratulations, and welcome
I want to thank Arthur "Art" Tom of City Real Estate for providing pizza at our March and April SPOSFI meetings at St. Mary's. Congratulations to SPOSFI Board of Directors member Cynthia Traina who was unanimously voted in as our new Vice President. Welcome Matt Nichols to our Board of Directors. Matt brings his 20+ years of experience as a contractor and rental housing provider to the Board.