by Annie Gaus : sfstandard – excerpt

San Francisco’s inability to agree on housing policy is nothing new. But with a state mandate looming, the city’s parochial squabbles over new housing development may do more than just frustrate pro-housing activists. They could also land the city in legal trouble.

That’s according to State Sen. Scott Wiener, who called the Board of Supervisors’ recent actions on housing policy “frustrating.” In June, the board passed a fourplex bill so laden with caveats that Mayor London Breed vetoed it on grounds that it could actually hurt, not help housing development. Last week, the board voted to send a charter amendment to the ballot that Wiener described as a “Trojan horse”—designed to confuse voters and sabotage another, more viable plan to build housing…(more)

If SF is sued by the state, we might consider joining the lawsuit against SB9 that eliminated single family housing, making home ownership more difficult and the state less family friendly.

Senator Wiener admits there is nothing illegal about the four-plex law. He claims SF is not doing what it needs to do to get things built. What does he expect them to do when selling entitlements is more profitable than building? Given the high cost of construction and financing, and the flight from cities, now is not a good time to invest in an overpriced city.

If our state representatives really want to house people they should figure out how to balance salaries with the cost of housing. Suing cities is a good way to anger the SF voters who are in a recall mood right now.