For some reason, State Senator Scott Wiener has chosen to go after his constituents in a way that is somewhat astonishing. Does he believe that we are masochists and appreciate being punished or is he so sure that he can win by buying the loyalty of deep pockets who can convince the voters that he is on their side?
In 2023 Senator Wiener started to write legislation targeted directly at San Francisco:
In a last-minute amendment to SB 423 Scott injected annual reviews of San Francisco’s progress on housing—making it the only jurisdiction in the state receiving elevated scrutiny. All others have four year reviews. See article in SF Standard about SB 423.
Senator Scott Wiener is also going after the California Coastal Commission’s jurisdiction over what is left of a small strip of San Francisco’s Pacific coastline with another gemSB 951. Mayor Breed is a sponsor of this bill. The Coastal Commission and the San Francisco Board of Supervisors took immediate action to stop the bill that many feel threatens the entire Pacific Coast with unlimited development. Please support the opposition to this bill.
Assemblymember Alvarez of San Diego has extended the threat of development to the entire Coast of California with AB 2560. Senator Wiener, SPUR and the Bay Area Council are sponsors of this bill.
In 2024 Scott is continuing to attack San Francisco:
He introduced SB1227 to exempt downtown projects from the California Environmental Quality Act, or CEQA, for a decade. The 1970 landmark law requires studies of a project’s expected impact on air, water, noise and other areas. Wiener’s excuse is that the city has used CEQA to slow down or kill infill development near public transit and that no environment damage can be done to a concrete jungle. See article in SF Standard about SB 1227