November Election Candidates' Profile - BOMA San Francisco's Dual Endorses for Supervisor in District 10 - Learn More About Shamann Walton and Theo Ellington + Volunteer and Donate!

The BOMA SF-PAC has endorsed two candidates for supervisor in District 10. Please take a moment to learn more about Shamann and Theo and, if you are so inclined, consider a donation to each campaign and/or volunteer. 

District 10 encompasses Potrero Hill, Central Waterfront, Dogpatch, Bayview-Hunters Point, Bayview Heights, India Basin, Silver Terrace, Candlestick Point, Visitacion Valley, Little Hollywood, Sunnydale, and McLaren Park in San Francisco.

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Click here to donate to Shamann Walton's campaign.

Click here to donate to Theo Ellington's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for Shamann Walton's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for Theo Ellington's campaign.

About Shamann Walton

Shamann Walton is running for Supervisor to be a strong voice for the communities of southeast San Francisco and to make sure City Hall works for all of us. He knows that everyone deserves a quality education, a good paying job, a safe neighborhood, and affordable place to live. As Supervisor, he will fight to improve our schools, bring more jobs to the district, increase access to affordable housing, bridge relationships among all southeastern neighborhoods, and stop gun violence on our streets.

Shamann was born in San Francisco and lived in public housing at an early age in Bayview and Potrero Hill. He has worked in our District 10 neighborhoods for almost two decades. Shamann has witnessed firsthand the challenges our community faces from long-time residents being pushed out of the city to losing childhood friends to violence and incarceration. As an accomplished and experienced community leader, Shamann has dedicated his life to improving these realities in our community and is committed to identifying solutions to our most pressing issues. 

Shamann is committed to identifying solutions to our most pressing issues.

As the former Director of the Potrero Hill Family Resource Center, Walton focused on increasing resources such as emergency housing, food and other basic needs for families in public housing and improving education programs in public school by preparing them for kindergarten.

As the Executive Director of Young Community Developers (YCD), a non-profit in Bayview-Hunters Point, he is spearheading job training, career placement, and rental assistance services for residents as well as building hundreds of affordable housing units. Under his leadership, YCD has increased its annual budget by more than $8 million dollars and has employed hundreds of District 10 residents.

In his role as President of the San Francisco Board of Education, Shamann spearheaded the effort to close the achievement gap for Black, Latino, and students with special needs; fought to protect undocumented students; worked tirelessly to ensure we employ the highest qualified teachers and identified affordable housing strategies to make our city more affordable for educators. 

Shamann is a proud father to his two adult children, Monique and Malcolm, who are both graduates of Bay Area public schools. He lives in the Bayview with his wife, Mesha, and his two stepsons–one who is a graduate of SFUSD and one who is still in middle school.

Shamann is an accomplished community leader and champion for students and children of San Francisco. He has a proven track record of creating positive change in the communities he serves.

About Theo Ellington

As a true native of San Francisco, lifelong resident, and homeowner in Bayview,

Theo Ellington (艾霖敦) is truly committed to being a voice for the neighborhoods we deserve.

Growing up, Theo attended local neighborhood schools including: Dr. Charles R. Drew College Preparatory Academy and Gloria R. Davis Middle School in Bayview before graduating from School of the Arts High School. He graduated from Notre Dame de Namur with a bachelor's degree in Political Science and later obtained his Masters in Urban Affairs from the University of San Francisco.

He’s running for Supervisor to make sure every family—not just the wealthy—can afford to live in our city. His commitment to public service began at an early age as a mayoral-appointee to the San Francisco Youth Commission where he was a liaison between various city departments and young people throughout the city.

Later, Theo earned a mayoral appointment to serve as Commissioner for the San Francisco Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure, where he lead the creation of 1,042 homes, including 242 for formerly homeless families. Theo also served on the San Francisco Human Rights Commission, where he defended anti-discrimination policies and protected the city’s most vulnerable populations.

As the Director of Public Affairs for the Golden State Warriors, Theo worked to create over 3,000 good paying jobs and held developers accountable to the neighborhood. He spearheaded public policy initiatives around transportation, workforce development, and quality of life.

When Tetra Tech tried to fraudulently cover up the environmental disaster at the Hunters Point Shipyard, Theo stood for the community and fought back, filing a lawsuit to protect the neighbors and hold the responsible corporations accountable. He is the only candidate who has pledged not to accept campaign contributions from these corporations.

In a volunteer capacity, Theo serves as a board member for several local non-profits: Bayview Opera House, Economic Development on Third, and Chinatown Community Development Center, and was recently (in January 2017) elected to serve as Assembly Delegate to the CA Democratic Party. 

Today, Theo lives at home with his wife Seray and dog LeRoy.

November Election Candidate's Profile - BOMA San Francisco Endorses Supervisor Rafael Mandelman in District 8 - Learn More About Rafael + Volunteer and Donate!

The BOMA SF-PAC has endorsed Rafael Mandelman for supervisor in District 8. Please take a moment to learn more about Rafael and, if you are so inclined, consider a donation to his campaign and/or volunteer.

District 8 encompasses The Castro, Noe Valley, Diamond Heights, Glen Park, Corona Heights, Eureka Valley, Dolores Heights, Mission Dolores, Duboce Triangle, Buena Vista Park, and part of Twin Peaks

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Click here to donate to Rafael's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for Rafael's campaign.

About Rafael Mandelman

Rafael Mandelman is running to represent District 8 on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. As an urban development attorney, Rafael has spent the last 17 years building affordable housing, revitalizing commercial districts and making more livable neighborhoods in the Bay Area. He is running to bring practical, real world experience to the Board, cut through the ideology and pessimism, and bring big solutions to the problems facing San Francisco.

Growing up in the City, Rafael attended Brandeis Hillel Day School and Lick-Wilmerding High School before going to Yale on scholarship. While at Yale he studied affordable housing and community development—returning in the summer to teach at-risk San Francisco middle school students.

After receiving a masters degree in public policy from Harvard and a law degree from UC Berkeley, Rafael returned home to San Francisco. As a District 8 resident for the past two decades, Rafael has been a strong advocate for D8 neighborhoods as President of the Noe Valley Democratic Club, Commissioner on the San Francisco Board of Appeals, Chair of the San Francisco LGBT Center, and President of the District 8 Democratic Club.

As an urban development attorney, Rafael has helped build thousands of affordable housing units all over the Bay Area. He sweats the details, doing what it takes to make affordable housing and livable communities a reality.

Rafael’s commitment to building housing and ending homelessness is personal. When he was eleven-years-old, Rafael’s mother’s mental illness started her spiraling down a path that led her into repeated hospitalizations and ultimately homelessness. Rafael became responsible for his own care—finding housing, getting himself on Medi-Cal and to his own doctors appointments, and getting himself through high school. As an adult he was able to secure a guardianship for his mother, and find her the long-term care she needed.

It was a path made possible by the dedication of educators in Rafael’s life, and making sure San Franciscans have access to education is why Rafael ran for City College Board of Trustees in 2012. Elected by a wide margin, Rafael became President of the Board. He was widely acknowledged for steering the 80-year institution through its recent accreditation crisis.

A strong advocate for students, Rafael was praised for his cool head and for not being afraid to make hard calls to save the institution. His leadership ensured that City College would weather the crisis and implement new innovative programs like Free City College.

Rafael now seeks to bring his experience to the Board of Supervisors, and be the dedicated, hard-working representative that District 8 deserves.

November Election Candidate's Profile - BOMA San Francisco's Endorses for Supervisor in District 6 - Learn More About Christine Johnson + Volunteer and Donate!

The BOMA SF-PAC has endorsed Christine Johnson for supervisor in District 6. Please take a moment to learn more about Christine and, if you are so inclined, consider a donation to her campaign and/or volunteer.

District 6 encompasses the in Union Square, Tenderloin, Civic Center, Mid-Market, Cathedral Hill, South of Market, South Beach, Mission Bay, Treasure Island, Yerba Buena Island, and Alcatraz San Francisco.

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Click here to donate to Christine's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for Christine's campaign.

About Christine Johnson

My mother raised my sister and I by working nearly 7 days a week at two nursing jobs to provide for us. We moved every two to three years to keep ahead of rapidly rising rents. But, because of the amount of housing opportunity there was in NYC at that time- we never had to move more than a few buildings away.

Childcare for me and my sister was always an issue. When a family member couldn’t watch us, we walked the streets of Chinatown or the Lower East Side or Spanish Harlem with my mom on her weekend job working with terminally ill patients or those just released from the hospital. Eventually when I got older, I was able to be more independent because the streets and transit were safe enough that I could be a latch key kid and didn't need adult supervision to get around. I experienced the culture of the world because artists could still afford to live in the city.

These formative experiences drove me to dedicate my life to building safe, equitable cities. Places where there was opportunity for everyone - just as there had been opportunity for me. I am committed to that goal in my personal and professional life. I graduated from Smith College with a Bachelor of Science in Engineering Science. Over the past 14 years, I have used my engineering and finance background to translate community concerns into actionable change in numerous public service roles including:

• Board member for the Bayview Opera House
• Secretary of the Hunters Point Shipyard Citizens Advisory Committee
• President of the Board of the San Francisco Housing Development Corporation
• President of the Advisory Board for the San Francisco Community Investment Fund
• President of the Office of Community Investment and Infrastructure Commission
• Commissioner on the San Francisco Planning Commission.

District 6 has been my home since I moved to Treasure Island 14 years ago. Our District is at the epicenter of the acute challenges facing San Francisco around homelessness, affordability and public health and public safety. I will be the Supervisor who will do the hard work needed to address these issues.

I am running because I believe it is within our reach to build new housing and take away the fear of displacement. It is within our reach to connect anyone experiencing homelessness with permanent housing. It is within our reach to have safe communities where families can walk down the street without fear and without having to look down. It is within our reach to create a city where it is possible to live comfortably here at any life stage.

I am running because I want to create a better District 6 for my family and yours.

--Christine

REGISTER - BOMA San Francisco's Annual Codes and Regulations Seminar - November 8, 2018

BOMA San Francisco’s Annual Codes Seminar will feature two focused presentations, and an advocacy update from Manuel Fishman with Buchalter, on important topics for all BOMA members: owners, institutional investors, asset and property managers, engineering staff, architects and code development consultants.

REGISTER HERE

(Need assistance? Reach out to John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com)

It’s BOMA San Francisco’s most important regulatory update of the year, so don’t miss out!

The Tall Buildings Safety Strategy

The first presentation will provide the details of a recent study on seismic effects on new and existing buildings: The Tall Buildings Safety Strategy. The 16 public policy recommendations of the Strategy will be reviewed, which stem from a study of 156 tall buildings in San Francisco. The Strategy seeks to improve the City’s preparedness and ability to recover from a major earthquake.

Future code development impacts for new and existing buildings could emerge from the recommendations including:

• Foundation design and geotechnical considerations including building response to extreme earthquake ground motions. 
• Buildings constructed with the welded steel moment frame method. 
• Amending the San Francisco existing building code triggers for alteration and acquisition projects. 
• Update and amend the San Francisco existing building code triggers for repair projects. 
• Recommending minimum levels of earthquake insurance. 
• Review requirements for post-earthquake fire and evacuation systems. 

Changes in BOMA International’s Standard Methods of Measurement

We will also hear from experts who can detail the changes in BOMA International’s 2017 Standard Methods of Measurement. The office standard has been revised to reflect the changing needs of the commercial real estate market. The latest standard includes many new enhancements and clarifications to address evolving building designs and tenant amenities.

REGISTER HERE

(Need assistance? Reach out to John Bozeman at johnb@boma.com)

November Election Candidates' Profile - BOMA San Francisco's Dual Endorses for Supervisor in District 4 - Learn More About Jessica Ho and Trevor McNeil + Volunteer and Donate!

The BOMA SF-PAC has endorsed two candidates for supervisor in District 4. Please take a moment to learn more about Jessica and Trevor and, if you are so inclined, consider a donation to each campaign and/or volunteer. 

District 4 encompasses the Sunset District in San Francisco. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Click here to donate to Jessica Ho's campaign.
Click here to donate to Trevor McNeil's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for Jessica Ho's campaign.

Click here to volunteer for Trevor McNeil's campaign.

About Jessica Ho

Jessica Ho currently serves as Legislative Aide to Supervisor Katy Tang, representing District 4, and her work focuses on improving public safety, enhancing neighborhood merchant vitality, and advocating for better transportation and pedestrian safety.

Before joining Supervisor Tang’s office, she worked as the Senior Health Advisor to Los Angeles County Board Supervisor Janice Hahn, where she launched the first mobile stroke unit on the West Coast, supported services and programs to improve air quality issues and prevent Hepatitis A outbreaks, and worked to identify new policies to tackle the city’s homelessness crisis.

After earning her bachelor’s degree from UC Berkeley, Jessica moved to the Sunset District, the neighborhood her grandmother immigrated to in 1980. While there, Jessica attended the University of California, San Francisco and completed a year-long program to become a Registered Dietitian. Through her experiences working with patients, she discovered that she wanted to pursue a career in public service, and so she went on to earn her Master of Science in Public Health in Health Policy from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health while interning with former District 4 Supervisor Carmen Chu. 

Shortly thereafter she was accepted into the Capital Fellows Program in Sacramento and worked for the California Department of Social Services (CDSS), an agency that contracts with non-profit organizations throughout the State and provides funds for adoptions, foster care, aid to the disabled, family crisis counseling, child welfare, and many others. Through this work she provided recommendations to the Governor’s Office on State legislation related to residential care facilities for the elderly, child day care centers, and other CDSS-regulated facilities. 

Throughout her career, Jessica has been passionate about caring for patients and constituents. Jessica’s three main priorities include creating housing that is affordable, as too many families and working people are being pushed out of San Francisco; creating safe and clean streets that residents and merchants feel proud to be part of; and reducing homelessness and addressing mental illness, while providing housing and a path to stability to our homeless neighbors. Her work has and will continue to focus on caring for those in need and improving the quality of life for residents of District 4.

About Trevor McNeil

As a young parent who is raising his three children in the Sunset, Trevor McNeil is committed to keeping the Sunset safe, affordable, and vibrant for working families.

Trevor grew up in San Francisco, and has lived in the Sunset most of his adult life. All of his three children, Walden, Nicasio, and Farallon, were born and raised in the Sunset. Like many residents, Trevor has struggled to find affordable housing for his growing family. But he remembers how important his San Franciscan childhood was to him, singing in the SF Boys Choir and playing Viking Soccer, and he's committed to keeping his family in the City to give his children the same opportunities.

A 3rd generation public school teacher, Trevor started his career as a student teacher at Lawton Alternative School, and has taught in many SF schools. He currently teaches 7th grade History and English at La Entrada Middle School. As a public school teacher, Trevor understands how hard it is to afford San Francisco's high cost of living for a middle-class family. He's excited to take lessons he's learned from leading a classroom to serving the Sunset as a Supervisor.

Trevor has always been dedicated to public service and activism. He's volunteered for the San Francisco Democratic Party since he was 14 years old. At 24, he was the youngest member elected to the SF Democratic County Central Committee, and served as its Vice-Chair. In 2014 Supervisor Katy Tang appointed Trevor to the city’s Pedestrian Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), and he currently is a member of the Parks, Recreation, and Open Space Advisory Committee (PROSAC). 

Trevor has been a board member of the San Francisco Young Democrats, the Irish American Democratic Club, Democracy Action, and the Inner Sunset Park Neighborhood Association.  The child of a union household, Trevor has served as his union's site representative and was a former organizer with AFSCME Local 3299. Trevor McNeil has a BA from Carleton College, a teaching credential from San Francisco State University, and a MA from Tuft University’s Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy. 

November Election - BOMA San Francisco Supports Proposition A: Strengthen the San Francisco Seawall + Volunteer and Donate

BOMA San Francisco supports Proposition A on the November ballot.

If approved, the bond measure would allocate $425 million to finance a portion of the construction, reconstruction, acquisition, improvement, demolition, seismic strengthening, and repair of the Embarcadero Seawall and other infrastructure.

Click here to volunteer and/or contribute to the campaign. 

From Fisherman's Wharf to Mission Creek, San Francisco's Seawall serves a vital role in supporting the San Francisco shoreline. This important yet unseen infrastructure is one of the oldest in the entire city and was designed before there was a modern understanding of seismic safety standards. Over the last century, while the Seawall has settled, cracked, and eroded, there have been many advances in engineering, technology, and construction practices to better safeguard the city against disasters and rising sea levels. Today's Seawall is in dire need of upgrades so that it can continue to uphold the foundation of San Francisco's iconic waterfront. 

Yes on A is the first step to funding these much needed repairs.

San Francisco's bond program is carefully managed with independent oversight and regular audits, and will not increase property taxes or rents. It requires a 2/3 majority to pass. For more detailed information about Proposition A, please read the Bond Accountability Report here.

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

November Election Candidate Profile - BOMA San Francisco's #2 Choice for Supervisor in District 2 - Learn More About Nick Josefowitz + Volunteer and Donate!

The BOMA SF-PAC has endorsed Nick Josefowitz as our #2 choice for Supervisor in District 2. Please take a moment to learn more about Nick and, if you are so inclined, consider a donation to his campaign and/or volunteer. 

District 2 includes Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Seacliff, Lake District, Presidio Heights, Jordan Park, Laurel Heights, Presidio, and part of Russian Hill.

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Click here to donate to the campaign.

Click here to volunteer. 

About Nick

Nick Josefowitz is a Clean Energy Entrepreneur who lives in Pacific Heights with his wife, Tali, whom he met in college. Together they are raising their twin boys, Ben and Alec, and spend much of their weekends chasing after them at Alta Plaza Park playground. Like many of you, they are so frustrated with City Hall's inability to tackle the most pressing challenges facing San Francisco.

Nick has a proven track record of delivering results. After graduating from Harvard in 2005, he founded and ran a successful solar energy development company. If elected, he will be the only Supervisor with any business experience. He was elected to the BART Board in 2014, and used his entrepreneurial mindset and private sector experience to help put BART back on track. His greatest success was bringing a new data-driven culture to the agency and leading the effort to pass a first-in-the-nation $3.5 billion fix-it-first infrastructure bond. You can read more about Nick's accomplishments at BART here.

Nick also serves on the Board of Directors of Capital Corridor, WETA (Bay ferries), and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC), where he’s working to reduce highway congestion and eliminate deaths and serious injuries from our roads across the region. 

He also currently serves on the Executive Board of SPUR and the boards of Generation Citizen Bay Area and the California League of Conservation Voters. Previously, he served on the board of the Jewish Community Relations Council and San Francisco Environment Commission, where he laid the groundwork for City legislation requiring solar panels on every new building. He also served on the Harvard Kennedy School Dean’s Council.

November Election Candidate Profile - BOMA San Francisco's #1 Choice for Supervisor in District 2 - Learn More About Supervisor Catherine Stefani + Volunteer and Donate!

The BOMA SF-PAC has endorsed Supervisor Catherine Stefani as our #1 choice for Supervisor in District 2. Please take a moment to learn more about Catherine and, if you are so inclined, consider a donation to her campaign and/or volunteer.

District 2 includes Marina, Cow Hollow, Pacific Heights, Seacliff, Lake District, Presidio Heights, Jordan Park, Laurel Heights, Presidio, and part of Russian Hill. 

If you have any questions, please reach out to John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Click here to donate to the campaign.

Click here to volunteer. 

About Supervisor Catherine Stefani

Supervisor Catherine Stefani is a neighborhood leader, public servant and activist who is a passionate advocate for the needs of District 2. For over a decade, Catherine has served our community both inside and out of City Hall. A resident of Cow Hollow for 17 years, Catherine is a familiar face who is deeply invested in our neighborhoods.

Catherine worked as a senior aide to both Supervisors Michela Alioto-Pier and Mark Farrell. She tackled issues ranging from public safety and parks to affordable housing and homelessness. She worked with Supervisor Alioto-Pier to prepare our community for natural disasters and to create the first job-share program for working parents at the Board of Supervisors. She helped save St. Luke’s Hospital, worked to shut down a fossil-fuel power plant and to protect our children by passing the ordinance which banned toys with dangerous chemicals being sold in San Francisco. Along with Supervisor Mark Farrell, she doubled our Homeless Outreach Team and increased homeless housing, passed small business tax credits to help our merchant corridors, fully funded all police academy classes through the budget process and doubled the Open Space Fund to secure stable capital and operations funding for our local parks. Catherine is known in the community for her work with District 2 neighborhood leaders to accomplish real results. 

Her effective leadership on behalf of District 2 residents earned her the respect of the City Administrator and Mayor who in 2016 asked her to be San Francisco’s County Clerk. There, she revamped the office to improve overall customer service, increased the availability of materials in multiple languages and remodeled the outdated ceremony room. Under Catherine’s leadership, the County Clerk’s office implemented major department efficiencies and increased the number of transactions by 27.5% and overall revenue by 5.7%.

Catherine began her career as a Deputy District Attorney in Contra Costa County, where she argued 25 jury trials. Catherine developed, hosted and produced “For the Record,” a television show about legal issues. For her work, the East Bay Business Times named her to its “40 under 40” list of leaders. She also worked for San Jose Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez, the California Department of Justice, and Speaker Herb Wesson of the California State Assembly.

BOMA San Francisco's Voter Guide for the November 6, 2018 Election - Learn More About Propositions and Candidates for Elected Office

BOMA San Francisco's Political Action Committee's Voter Guide
November 6, 2018 Election

The BOMA SF-PAC is looking forward to the November 6, 2018 election. Our members have endorsed candidates for elected office and taken positions on the following propositions. If you are a registered voter in San Francisco, please reference this guide when you vote!

If you have any questions, contact John Bozeman, BOMA San Francisco's Director of Government and Industry Affairs, at johnb@boma.com.

Local Propositions

Click here to review the San Francisco Voter Guide for more information on each Proposition.

SUPPORT - Proposition A: Bond Special Election: San Francisco Seawall Earthquake Safety Bond 

OPPOSE - Proposition B: Charter Amendment: City Privacy Guidelines

OPPOSE - Proposition C: Initiative Ordinance: Imposing a Homelessness Gross Receipts Tax

OPPOSE - Proposition D: Charter Amendment: Cannabis Commission

SUPPORT - Proposition E: Initiative Ordinance: Hotel Tax Allocations

Candidates - San Francisco

San Francisco Board of Supervisors - District 2

Catherine Stefani - #1 Endorsed Candidate in District 2

Nick Josefowitz - #2 Endorsed Candidate in District 2

San Francisco Board of Supervisors - District 4
Dual Endorsement 

Jessica Ho and Trevor McNeil

San Francisco Board of Supervisors - District 6

Christine Johnson

San Francisco Board of Supervisors - District 8

Rafael Mandelman

San Francisco Board of Supervisors - District 10

Dual Endorsement 

Shamann Walton and Theo Ellington

San Francisco Assessor Recorder

Carmen Chu

Candidates - California

Governor - Gavin Newsom

Lt. Governor - Eleni Kounalakis

State Assembly District 17 – David Chiu

State Assembly District 19 – Phil Ting

State Board of Equalization District 2 – Malia Cohen

Candidates - Federal

US Senate - Dianne Feinstein 

US Congressional District 12 – Nancy Pelosi

US Congressional District 14 – Jackie Speier

IMPORTANT UPDATE: San Francisco's Tall Buildings Safety Strategy Report Released - Seismic Effects and Geotechnical Considerations

UPDATE - October 17, 2018

The Tall Buildings Safety Strategy report has been released. We recommend that you review the document and all the recommendations. Any feedback – and if you’d like to be involved in future discussions – should be sent to johnb@boma.com.

The team that produced the missive will present the suggested policy actions in-detail at the BOMA San Francisco Codes and Regulations Seminar on November 8th (click on the link to learn more and register).

From the report:

The recommendations of the Tall Buildings Safety Strategy, prepared by seismic engineering experts of the non-profit Applied Technology Council, stem from a study of the 156 tall buildings in San Francisco, primarily in the northeast neighborhoods. The recommendations are also applicable to a wider network of buildings that support similar functions or may share similar vulnerabilities. The recommendations are presented in this report with the specific issues they were developed to resolve and with a proposed timeline for implementation.

Each recommended action identifies one or more City departments to lead its implementation. However, implementation of any new policy is assumed to involve appropriate coordination with other City departments, outside experts (as needed), and other stakeholders. Some recommended actions require enactment of legislation by the Mayor and Board of Supervisors or action by the Building Inspection Commission and can only commence after these approvals.

BOMA San Francisco is well-positioned to work with policy makers to ensure that new and, most prominently, existing building code changes, protects life-safety but also ensures a rational approach to address issues unique to existing structures. It is paramount that any policy action is:

• Rationally implementable and recognizes the constraints inherent with structures built at different time periods;
• Involves affected stakeholders;
• And, ensures appropriate timelines for execution.

BOMA San Francisco’s membership is looking forward to working with the City and County of San Francisco in the near-term to discuss the approach to the Strategy’s recommendations.

--------------------

Original Post - June 15, 2018

A recent article in the New York Times, At Risk in a Big Quake: 39 of San Francisco’s Top High Rises, "includes a list of buildings that are potentially vulnerable to a large quake." The San Francisco Bay Area is in seismic zone and those who live and work in the area are likely aware of that fact.

In light of the potential for seismic activity, The City and County of San Francisco's Office of Resilience and Capital Planning is in the process of producing a report on the subject of seismic effects on tall buildings in San Francisco, as well as geotechnical considerations related to tall buildings.

BOMA San Francisco, through our Codes and Regulations Committee, participated in the first stakeholder meeting on March 6, 2018 that provided an overview of the Tall Building Study and learned more about the team's progress to date. The team leading the Study from Stanford University and the private sector, also provided an overview of their effort at the March Codes and Regulations Committee.

The Study is expected to be completed in October 2018.

The report will:

• Clearly characterize the issues and available information;
• Propose regulatory and procedural recommendations where appropriate to the subject studied;
• Scope out future work items.

The work under this project will be performed under the six tasks, detailed below, and compiled in the report.

• Task 1: Seismic Performance Characterization of Existing Tall Buildings 
• This task is developing an inventory for purposes of establishing the broad scope and context of tall buildings in San Francisco.
• Task 2: Tall Building Effects 
• This task summarizes seismic risks with tall buildings with recommendations for new policy and further research. 
• Task 3: Standards for Post- Earthquake Structural Evaluation
• Task 4: Barriers to Reoccupancy of Tall Buildings
• Task 5: Costs and Benefits of Higher Performance Goals for New Construction
• Task 6: Geotechnical Engineering for Tall Buildings 
• This task will review and compile best practices in geotechnical engineering that could apply in San Francisco.

Please contact johnb@boma.com with any questions you may have.

UPDATE: Proposition 13/Split Roll Property Tax Qualifies for the 2020 Statewide Ballot

UPDATE - October 16, 2018

Yesterday, it was announced that the initiative to dismantle Proposition 13 by creating a split roll has qualified and is eligible for the November 2020 ballot.

Under the proposal, all business properties will be reassessed to 2020 values and will be reassessed every three years thereafter. Commercial property will lose any certainty and one can only imagine the impact and cost to long-time property owners. The proponents of this effort believe it’s a $12 billion tax grab from the commercial real estate industry.

The California Legislative Analyst’s Office has warned that the switch would introduce far more volatility into the state's revenue stream.

BOMA California and the California Business Properties Association will continue to work closely with allied business and taxpayer groups on the statewide strategy to defeat this measure. Our industry has been preparing for this moment for some time. 

Click here to read the Proposition.

Click here to read a story about the initiative from the Los Angeles Times.

--------------------

Original Post - October 10, 2018

In August, proponents advocating for amending Proposition 13 and creating a split-roll property tax by ending the protections and certainty for commercial property, submitted signatures to place the initiative before voters on the November 2020 ballot.

Every commercial real estate organization - including BOMA California - has at some point over the last 30 years taken a position in opposition to split roll taxation – nothing in this measure changes that stance.

The measure itself is very clear in its actions:

• Bring all commercial properties to a new assessed 2020 value that becomes the new base year for taxation.
• Require that all commercial property be reassessed every three years thereafter.
• Establishes an exemption for properties valued at less than $1 million – however this is a questionable exemption as the property is reassessed every three years eventually it will lose that exemption.
• The measure removes all the tax protections provided by Proposition 13. 
• Ends the treating of all property the same for taxation purposes for the first time in California’s history. 

BOMA California is taking a strong opposed position against any proposed split roll tax initiative. Studies have shown it will have a negative impact on values, put many small businesses and tenants out of business. It will cost jobs and impact negatively the overall economy of California.

Feel free to visit this website for information: http://www.stophigherpropertytaxes.org/

BOMA San Francisco Opposes November Tax Measure Proposition C - The Largest Tax Increase in San Francisco History

The November ballot in San Francisco contains an initiative ordinance, Proposition C, which, if passed, would be the largest tax increase in the city’s history.

This measure would mostly affect the major tenants in BOMA member buildings and may have implications for BOMA members depending on your company’s San Francisco gross receipts tax category.

We urge you review the measure to determine how your enterprise may be impacted.

Proposition C is a NEW and additional tax measure that follows the passage of the current largest tax increase in San Francisco history on the commercial real estate industry in June for childcare and early education.

For many of San Francisco’s largest employers, it will double both the Gross Receipts and Administrative Office Taxes. This measure imposes $300 million of new taxes on approximately 200-300 businesses and locks in the existing $382 million the city currently spends for homeless services. The result is a $682 million budget set aside, by far the city’s largest, which during the next recession will result in huge general fund cuts.

This measure targets the largest professional service firms, retailers, hotels and headquartered companies - businesses that employ 20% of our workforce and generate 40% of the city’s business taxes.

The solution to our homeless epidemic is not just more money spent the same way – we need to be smarter, more creative and more accountable.

Prop. C has no plan, no reform and no accountability.

The San Francisco Chamber of Commerce is leading the campaign along with the Committee on Jobs, Hotel Council and BOMA San Francisco in organizing the campaign against this measure. Recent polling shows with a well-funded, well-organized campaign, Proposition C can be defeated. Please click here to find additional information on the measure, as well as how to contribute to the campaign by clicking here.

For more information on how you can help, please email: info@noonpropc.com.