Mayor Declares Rent Emergency, Unveils $58M Tenant Shield

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors convened Sept. 15 for a marathon session that opened with Mayor Daniel Lurie declaring a rent emergency and closed with supervisors introducing a wave of new legislation — from a data center moratorium to a proposal to overhaul the city's housing department. In between, the board slashed a controversial software contract by nearly $11 million and advanced more than $460 million in bond financing for housing, infrastructure and public health.

• Mayor declares rent emergency, backs $58M+ in tenant protections including rent-increase caps, eviction safeguards and legal aid
• OpenGov permit software deal cut from $38.9M to $28M after supervisors flag missed targets and no competitive bidding; passes 10-1
• Treasure Island financing expands by $520M, bringing total bond authorization to $1.3 billion for 8,000 planned homes
• Board authorizes $466M in bond issuances spanning affordable housing, earthquake safety, health facilities and parks
• New legislation introduced: 45-day data center moratorium, banked rent increase cap, a new Department of Housing Production, and SFO detention center condemnation
• Hub neighborhood residents deliver coordinated testimony demanding enforcement and accountability on homelessness and open drug use
• Early labor deal covers 80% of city workers with a 12% raise through 2031 and no-layoff guarantees

Why it matters: San Francisco rents are rising faster than anywhere in the country, and evictions are approaching their highest level in nearly a decade — conditions the mayor used to frame a sweeping legislative and budget response.