Senator Scott Wiener’s housing bill that intended to increased housing development near transit hubs was voted down in the Senate Housing and Transportation Committee by a 6-4 vote on Tuesday.

Legislators called SB827 a “one size fits all” approach to a statewide housing crisis that affects urban, suburban, and rural areas.

Wiener asked for the senate’s reconsideration of the bill, but he does not anticipate the bill will advance this year.

The city has given the SF police officers association a proposed contract that includes a 9% wage increase for officers over the next three years, and the union has countered with a 13% increase, in the ongoing contentious relationship between the two.

Under the city’s proposal, the POA would have a shorter window to invoke their right to negotiate on policy changes they claim impact officers’ working conditions, a process that delays implementation of reform measures. The POA would also waive it’s right to mediation and arbitration if no agreement is reached during those policy negotiations.

The current contract expires at the end of June.

After much ado about the nuisance caused by rental scooters, the Board voted unanimously to approve legislation prohibiting scooter companies from operating without a permit.  The SFMTA is expected to vote on the new permit program on May 1st.

Motorized scooters from LimeBike, Bird, and Spin remain strewn across SF sidewalks, despite City Attorney Dennis Herrera’s cease-and-desist letter ordering the scooters to be removed until safety and parking regulations are in place.

Dealing with a surprising amount of political drama from our little island in the Bay, the Alameda City Council asked the District Attorney to investigate the actions of the now suspended city manager who secretly recorded conversations with two city council members she alleges were trying to “bribe” and “threaten” her into hiring their pick for fire chief.

Supervisor Jane Kim’s proposal to appropriate $1.1M in funding for street cleaning was approved on a final 6-5 Board vote Tuesday.  However, this will be the end of the road if Mayor Farrell stands firm in his commitment to veto on principle that all funding priorities should be considered during the city’s formal budgeting process.  

The proposal is unlikely to move forward as Kim would need eight votes to override a veto.

On Tuesday, Supervisor Malia Cohen called for a hearing on the Navy’s falsified environmental reports at the Hunters Point Shipyard.  

Also on Tuesday, the Commission on Community Investment and Infrastructure unanimously approved a redesign of the development to allow for a small increase in housing, and the addition of a hotel, schools, and space for small manufacturing…presuming the site is ever be deemed environmentally safe.

The redesign requires Board approval and is likely to be considered by the supes this fall.

City Attorney Dennis Herrera appointed former U.S. Attorney and former SF Superior Court Judge Kevin Ryan to the Ethics Commission.  Ryan will replace Peter Keane, who abruptly resigned in February.

The Board voted 10-1 to pass Sup. Catherine Stefani’s legislation to rename Columbus Day as Italian American Heritage Day, which will now be celebrated in tandem with Indigenous Peoples Day - both on the second Monday in October.