by Paul Hogarth, 2007-12-12
After much speculation about whether progressives had six votes at City Hall to put the Affordable Housing Charter Amendment on the November ballot, the Supervisors made it clear yesterday that it will easily pass this test. Chris Daly, the amendment's main sponsor, continued the item until January 8th to make some last-minute changes that will generate enough votes for its passage. Under these changes, $75 million of the housing set-aside---$5 million annually for fifteen years-- will be used for the Mayor's HOPE-SF program to revitalize public housing projects -- a move requested by Supervisor Sophie Maxwell as a condition of her co-sponsorship of the amendment. Supervisors Jake McGoldrick and Bevan Dufty likewise indicated that they would support the Charter Amendment as changed, meaning that it will now have at least eight votes. With $75 million going to one of his main second-term priorities, Mayor Gavin Newsom is also expected to either support the Amendment, or at least not campaign against it. What could have been a bitterly fought proposition is now likely to be a historic housing appropriation with broad support at the ballot box. Daly told the crowd at yesterday's meeting that final approval on January 8th will be "largely celebratory."