by Mohamed Shehk
San Francisco – Earlier today, the SF Planning Commission heard an appeal filed by Californians United for a Responsible Budget which challenged the environmental report put out by the SF Planning Department regarding the proposed construction of a jail at 855 Bryant St. as insufficient. A central concern for opponents of the jail is that the planners of the project did not seriously assess the high likelihood of displacing people in 14 Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) units living at 480-484 Sixth St. The Planning Commission ultimately upheld the original report prepared by the Planning Department.
“As an advocate for tenants in San Francisco and particularly for working class tenants and communities of color most impacted by eviction and imprisonment, I went out to speak with the residents at 480 Sixth St.,” said Andrew Szeto of the Tenants’ Union during the meeting’s public comment period. “Not a single resident living there was even aware of the jail project or that they were potentially facing eviction.”
A central concern for opponents of the jail is that the planners of the project did not seriously assess the high likelihood of displacing people in 14 Single Resident Occupancy (SRO) units living at 480-484 Sixth St.
Jail planners have repeatedly been criticized for not allowing proper community input during the environmental review process, despite the fact that sufficient public input is required by state law under the California Environmental Quality Act.
“It is completely absurd that SF officials would consider displacing people in affordable housing units to make way for a jail during what is arguably San Francisco’s worst affordable housing crisis in its history,” says Lisa Marie Alatorre of the Coalition on Homelessness. “We should be investing in affordable and supportive housing, not perpetuating the problem by squandering hundreds of millions on more jails.”
100 apartments at 4840 Mission Street available for lease through DAHLIA San Francisco Housing Portal!
Households must have a minimum monthly income of two times the rent. Households must earn no more than the gross monthly income listed below:
Applications and more info available on DAHLIA San Francisco Housing Portal: housing.sfgov.org
The applications deadline is September 28th, 2023 at 5PM. Applications must be submitted online at housing.sfgov.org from September 7 to September 28, 2023. For assistance, contact one of the housing counseling agencies listed at housing.sfgov.org/housing-counselors.
This property has some units with special features for mobility impaired or sensory impaired households. Several preferences apply; learn more at housing.sfgov.org.
Income and other restrictions apply. Section 8 welcome. Equal Housing Opportunity.
Jail planners have repeatedly been criticized for not allowing proper community input during the environmental review process, despite the fact that sufficient public input is required by state law under the California Environmental Quality Act.
Among other concerns that were raised was that the jail’s construction plan does not abide by state regulations. The report released by the Planning Department states that “the proposed Rehabilitation and Detention Facility would not include outdoor spaces. The exercise space on each floor would be enclosed.”
However, California’s building code for adult detention facilities clearly states, “An outdoor exercise area or areas must be provided in every Type II and Type III facility.” The proposed jail would be a Type II facility. Opponents argue that making the necessary changes to include an outdoor exercise area in the plan would require a new environmental review process due to the impacts of air pollution.
San Franciscans and Bay Area residents will be joining with communities across the state to attend a “Bidders’ Conference,” held by the Board of State and Community Corrections in Sacramento, where sheriffs from many California counties will be scrambling for competitive state construction funds for jails, including San Francisco. Organizers with the No New SF Jail Coalition will be challenging San Francisco’s eligibility to receive the funds, as they have done successfully in the past.
Mohamed Shehk, media and communications director for Critical Resistance, a national grassroots organization working to abolish the prison industrial complex, is a spokesperson for the No New SF Jail coalition. He can be reached at 510-444-0484 or mohamed@criticalresistance.org.
