December 2019 – Democratic Socialists of America

DSA SF is calling all comrades and community partners to attend the Tuesday, December 17 town hall being held by the San Francisco Police Department. Comrades should arrive by 6PM at César Chávez Elementary School (825 Shotwell St.) in order to show their support for police shooting victim Jamaica Hampton and demand transparency from police by releasing body camera footage of the events leading up to the shooting.

The SFPD alleged that Hampton, who was in San Francisco participating in a recovery program, was shot after he attacked a police officer with an unspecified weapon. Mission Local staff reviewed closed circuit footage, however, and reported that Hampton appears to have been shot as he attempted to evade police. Mission Local reporters described the footage as showing two officers, guns drawn, chasing after Hampton before shots were fired as he ran approximately eight feet from one of the officers. One officer was reportedly transported to the hospital and quickly released after being treated for non-life threatening injuries. Meanwhile, Hampton remains in the hospital for treatment related to being hit by gunfire— according to some sources, three times— on the legs. It is unclear whether Hampton will face any criminal charges as a result of this interaction with police.

Hampton’s shooting is one of 32 shootings, at least five of them fatal, perpetrated by SFPD over the past five years. As of today’s date, none of the officers involved in the fatal shootings have faced charges for their conduct despite what many community organizers and leaders view as an unjustified use of deadly force.

By showing up to Tuesday’s town hall, comrades can stand in solidarity with Hampton and other victims of police brutality. Several DSA SF comrades already turned out to join the community to demand justice shortly after Hampton was shot, including during the first two days after the shooting, to demand that his family and attorney be allowed to visit him in the hospital. The family and members of Hampton’s legal team have since been given access to him.

For more information, please contact the Justice Committee at justice@dsasf.org.

San Francisco is considering legislation which will disincentivize gas infrastructure in new building developments. At stake are at least 72,000 new residential units and numerous commercial buildings. This legislation follows similar “reach codes” adopted by San Jose and other Bay Area cities. Ultimately, the City will need to adopt a separate gas ban ordinance as soon as possible to comprehensively halt the expansion of fossil fuel infrastructure for new projects, followed by an equitable plan to retrofit all existing buildings.

The recent decision to ban natural gas in Berkeley and other cities was based on three major factors: decarbonization, health and safety, and the economics of electrification. Natural gas leaks and combustion represents approximately 35% of San Francisco’s greenhouse gas emissions. While gas stoves are often considered a luxury, the health impacts of burning methane are significant. Burning natural gas indoors releases carbon monoxide, formaldehyde, and other pollutants in confined spaces. Gas combustion also pollutes outdoor air.

In September, DSA SF’s Ecosocialist Committee signed on to a letter to the Mayor and Board of Supervisors outlining the reasons to ban natural gas in new buildings. Despite the fact that fully electric units are cheaper to build, the majority of developers want to keep gas as a luxury selling point, or simply because they aren’t familiar with all-electric design.

While the details of a Berkeley-style gas ban ordinance are being debated at City Hall, the crucial point which cannot be ceded is that in the interim any new developments featuring gas must not only be more efficient than code, but also be electric-ready, i.e. feature sufficient electrical capacity, conduit and wiring to facilitate future electrification. Such a provision would simplify electrification retrofits and be a major incentive for developers to choose all-electric infrastructure before a full ban can be enacted.

The vast majority of new buildings in the construction pipeline will feature fossil fuel infrastructure unless we intervene now. Without action, we could see an increase of up to 18% in fossil fuel infrastructure in the building sector. This increase complicates the investment that the SF Department of the Environment says we need to retrofit the existing stock of fossil fuel units at a rate of 3% per year. Why approve obsolete new fossil fuel buildings if we know they need to be all-electric, if not electric-ready, today?

Join us at the Board of Supervisors Land Use and Transportation Committee meeting on December 9, 1:30 PM at 1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place, Legislative Chamber, Room 250 to pressure the Board to amend the reach code ordinance to include an electric-ready provision and ban gas in new buildings to meet San Francisco’s climate goals.

You may also email your comments before the meeting (File #190974 in the subject line) to Erica Major, Clerk of the Committee: erica.major@sfgov.org. Please also sign the petition to ban gas in SF: https://sfgasban.org/.

Interested in joining the Ecosocialist Committee? Email ecosocialist@dsasf.org.

DSA SF Urges Comrades To Support Police Shooting Victim Jamaica Hampton at 12/17 Town Hall

DSA SF Ecosocialist Committee to Pressure SF Board of Supervisors to Phase Out Gas in New Buildings