Mayor seeks more smallbusiness aid
about some permits, and also forcing the city to complete most permit reviews within 30 days.
It’s difficult to say how well Prop. H has worked since only about 10 eligible businesses have applied since the system was created in January, according to the mayor’s office.
Sharky Laguana, president of the Small Business Commission and a smallbusiness owner himself, said many people are deterred from opening a new business in such uncertain times, and therefore the Prop. H changes have not been “stresstested” yet.
But, he said, he hopes the ballot measure, along with the mayor’s new proposals, will make San Francisco a welcoming place for people who want to open a bar, restaurant or storefront.
“It’s a challenging business environment to want to invest in, and to sign a lease when you don’t know when the pandemic is going to end,” he said. “But I think we’re on the cusp of seeing a very sudden and abrupt change.”
While none of the supervisors opposed Prop. H last year, it’s unclear how they’ll feel about this next set of proposals. Breed and former Supervisor Vallie Brown tried making some of the changes in Prop. H through the Board of Supervisors in 2019, but it was watered down by the time it was finally passed.
That’s why Breed brought Prop. H to the voters last year, instead of proposing it to the board.
Ben Bleiman, who owns five bars in the city and helped craft Prop. H, said officials were careful not to put all the reforms they wanted in the ballot measure, as they didn’t want to overwhelm voters with such a big proposal.
Now, the board and public will have input on the next set of reforms, which also include allowing restaurants to host catering businesses in their kitchens, permitting some businesses and organizations to use rooftop spaces and expanding the hours that businesses can hold live performances.
“Our goal is to make this the easiest city in the nation to open up businesses, and have them flourish,” said Bleiman, who is also president of the city’s Entertainment Commission. “This is a big piece of legislation that has been proposed, and it’s a starting point. So let’s get together and let’s talk.”