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Mayor London Breed, Supervisor Matt Haney Introduce Legislation to Prevent Frivolous Appeals From Delaying City Projects And Policies

Published

5 years ago

November 12, 2020

Kiki

Mayor London Breed

Legislation would raise the requirements for City projects to be appealed and allow them to continue during the appeals process to prevent unnecessary delays

On Tuesday, San Francisco Mayor London N. Breed and District 6 Supervisor Matt Haney introduced legislation designed to prevent the abuse of the appeals process for City projects and policies that often result in unnecessary delays and increased costs.

Under current law, one person is capable of appealing and pausing projects and policies related to transportation, public works, infrastructure, and the environment. The legislation maintains the ability for appeals to be filed, but raises the requirements to prevent frivolous appeals that result in project delays and cost increases.

One recent example was an appeal of the City’s Slow Streets program, which is designed to give pedestrians access to roads with limited car traffic in order to safely move around San Francisco during the global COVID-19 pandemic.

This appeal of the Slow Streets program was filed by just two individuals. While the appeal was eventually dismissed unanimously, the delay was unnecessary and resulted in hundreds of hours of staff time that could have otherwise been spent responding to other City and resident needs.

Additionally, the appeal meant countless residents in neighborhoods throughout the City did not have access to a nearby Slow Street for weeks, and in some cases months. A total of six separate appeals have been filed to stall San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) projects since June.

“Our response to the pandemic has shown that San Francisco is capable of doing great things when we don’t get in our own way,” said Breed. “People should be able to appeal projects and policies that are going to impact our city and their lives, but by setting the bar so low for an appeal to be filed, we set ourselves up for delays and cost overruns before we even get started.

“That’s a system designed to fail. This legislation allows for appeals to continue while preventing frivolous appeals that keep our city from moving forward,” Breed said.

Under the legislation, appeals to the Board of Supervisors for projects that are not directly under their decision-making authority would require 50 signatures from San Francisco residents, or five members of the Board of Supervisors, as opposed to the current rules that require just one appellant.

Furthermore, a number of project types could continue while the appeal is being heard, such as projects that are temporary in nature, involve easily reversible physical changes, or are related to health and safety.

“This is common sense, necessary legislation, only applying to public projects, that will improve our city’s ability to act decisively and respond with urgency to meet public needs, while still protecting the right to appeal,” said Haney. “The public’s right to appeal government decisions is an important part of our democracy, but a single person should not be able to completely derail a public project like Slow Streets or emergency transit lanes that fulfill a clear public purpose and can be reversed.”

“After the recent CEQA appeal that paused Slow Streets was rejected, our teams were in the streets within 12 hours and new Slow Streets were installed on Clay and Noe streets and Pacific and Tompkins avenues in less than a week,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeffrey Tumlin. “These welcoming and accessible improvements are needed to keep our city moving during this crisis. With fewer frivolous appeals, staff could instead spend time on the City’s recovery.”

Under the legislation, the Slow Streets program appeal would have required 50 signatures to be filed, and implementation of the program would have been allowed to continue during the appeal since the physical changes are easily reversible and only require removing signs saying the road is closed to through traffic.

“We want to thank Mayor Breed and Supervisor Haney for their forward-thinking legislation that will help our city meet our Vision Zero and Transit First goals with urgency,” said Janice Li, advocacy director for the San Francisco Bicycle Coalition. “The San Francisco Bicycle Coalition enthusiastically supports this legislation that lets the city planners do what they do best: design safe streets that make it easier for people to walk, bike, and take transit.”

The San Francisco Mayor’s Office of Communications provided this report.

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COMMENTARY: The National Protest Must Be Accompanied with Our Votes

Just as Trump is gathering election data like having the FBI take all the election data in Georgia from the 2020 election, so must we organize in preparation for the coming primary season to have the right people on ballots in each Republican district, so that we can regain control of the House of Representatives and by doing so, restore the separation of powers and balance that our democracy is being deprived of.

Published

2 hours ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper. File photo..

By Dr. John E. Warren, Publisher San Diego Voice & Viewpoint Newspaper

As thousands of Americans march every week in cities across this great nation, it must be remembered that the protest without the vote is of no concern to Donald Trump and his administration.

In every city, there is a personal connection to the U.S. Congress. In too many cases, the member of Congress representing the people of that city and the congressional district in which it sits, is a Republican. It is the Republicans who are giving silent support to the destructive actions of those persons like the U.S. Attorney General, the Director of Homeland Security, and the National Intelligence Director, who are carrying out the revenge campaign of the President rather than upholding the oath of office each of them took “to Defend The Constitution of the United States.”

In California, the primary comes in June 2026. The congressional races must be a priority just as much as the local election of people has been so important in keeping ICE from acquiring facilities to build more prisons around the country.

“We the People” are winning this battle, even though it might not look like it. Each of us must get involved now, right where we are.

In this Black History month, it is important to remember that all we have accomplished in this nation has been “in spite of” and not “because of.” Frederick Douglas said, “Power concedes nothing without a struggle.”

Today, the struggle is to maintain our very institutions and history. Our strength in this struggle rests in our “collectiveness.” Our newspapers and journalists are at the greatest risk. We must not personally add to the attack by ignoring those who have been our very foundation, our Black press.

Are you spending your dollars this Black History Month with those who salute and honor contributions by supporting those who tell our stories? Remember that silence is the same as consent and support for the opposition. Where do you stand and where will your dollars go?

Oakland Post

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Activism

Congresswoman Simon Votes Against Department of Homeland Security, ICE Funding

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

Published

3 hours ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12). File photo.

By Post Staff

Congresswoman Lateefah Simon (D-CA-12) released a statement after voting against legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which supports Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CPB).

“Today, I voted NO on legislation to fund the Department of Homeland Security through Feb. 13, 2026.

“ICE and CBP do not need more funding to terrorize communities or kill more people,” she said in the media release.

“They need accountability. Republicans already gave these agencies an unprecedented $170 billion for immigration enforcement, funding they have used to conduct raids at schools, separate families, and deploy a masked paramilitary who refuse to identify themselves on American streets. This bill gives them more funding without a single reform to stop unconstitutional, immoral abuses,” she said.

“The American people are demanding change. Poll after poll of Americans’ opinions show overwhelming support for requiring ICE agents to wear body cameras and prohibiting them from hiding their faces during enforcement actions. This is the bare minimum transparency standard, and this funding legislation does not even meet this low bar,” Simon said.

“Republicans in Congress are not serious about reining in these lawless agencies. Their refusal to make meaningful changes to the DHS funding bill has consequences that go beyond immigration enforcement. TSA agents who keep our airports safe and FEMA workers who help our communities recover from disasters are stuck in limbo due to Republican inaction.

“The Constitution does not have an exception for immigrants. Every person on American soil has rights, and federal agencies must respect them. The East Bay has made clear at the Alameda County and city level that we will hold the line against a violent ICE force and support our immigrant communities – I will continue to hold the line and our values with my votes in Congress.”

Oakland Post

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Activism

Post Newspaper Invites NNPA to Join Nationwide Probate Reform Initiative

The Post’s Probate Reform Group meets the first Thursday of every month via Zoom and invites the public to attend. The Post is making the initiative national and will submit information from its monthly meeting to the NNPA to educate, advocate, and inform its readers.

Published

4 hours ago

February 10, 2026

Oakland Post

iStock.

By Tanya Dennis

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) represents the Black press with over 200 newspapers nationwide.

Last night the Post announced that it is actively recruiting the Black press to inform the public that there is a probate “five-alarm fire” occurring in Black communities and invited every Black newspaper starting from the Birmingham Times in Alabama to the Milwaukee Times Weekly in Wisconsin, to join the Post in our “Year of Action” for probate reform.

Reporter Tanya Dennis says, “The adage that ‘When America catches a cold, Black folks catch the flu” is too true in practice; that’s why we’re engaging the Black Press to not only warn, but educate the Black community regarding the criminal actions we see in probate court: Thousands are losing generational wealth to strangers. It’s a travesty that happens daily.”

Venus Gist, a co-host of the reform group, states, “ Unfortunately, people are their own worst enemy when it comes to speaking with loved ones regarding their demise. It’s an uncomfortable subject that most avoid, but they do so at their peril. The courts rely on dissention between family members, so I encourage not only a will and trust [be created] but also videotape the reading of your documents so you can show you’re of sound mind.”

In better times, drafting a will was enough; then a trust was an added requirement to ‘iron-clad’ documents and to assure easy transference of wealth.

No longer.

As the courts became underfunded in the last 20 years, predatory behavior emerged to the extent that criminality is now occurring at alarming rates with no oversight, with courts isolating the conserved, and, I’ve heard, many times killing conservatees for profit. Plundering the assets of estates until beneficiaries are penniless is also common.”

Post Newspaper Publisher Paul Cobb says, “The simple solution is to avoid probate at all costs. If beneficiaries can’t agree, hire a private mediator and attorney to work things out. The moment you walk into court, you are vulnerable to the whims of the court. Your will and trust mean nothing.”

Zakiya Jendayi, a co-host of the Probate Reform Group and a victim herself, says, “In my case, the will and trust were clear that I am the beneficiary of the estate, but the opposing attorney said I used undue influence to make myself beneficiary. He said that without proof, and the judge upheld the attorney’s baseless assertion. In court, the will and trust is easily discounted.”

The Black press reaches out to 47 million Black Americans with one voice. The power of the press has never been so important as it is now in this national movement to save Black generational wealth from predatory attorneys, guardians and judges.

The next probate reform meeting is on March 5, from 7 – 9 p.m. PST. Zoom Details:
Meeting ID: 825 0367 1750
Passcode: 475480

All are welcome.