No progress seen on housing crunch for SF teachers – San Francisco Chronicle

Two- and three-hour daily commutes. In-law units with no kitchens. Couch surfing after an eviction.

City and district officials said they were moved by the teachers testimony and vowed to do better. They havent.

The teacher housing working group, composed of officials from the school district, teachers union and the Mayors Office of Housing, hasnt met since the hearing and has no meetings scheduled.

When they have met, sources in the room say theyre still hung up on whether its legal to build housing just for teachers under the federal Fair Housing Act. This, even though they touted former state Sen. Mark Lenos successful passage of a state bill clarifying it as legal seven months ago.

The working group has looked seriously at two school district sites for housing. One is a 2.4-acre plot at Seventh Avenue and Lawton Street thats alternately used as a pumpkin patch, Christmas tree farm and dog park. The other is the Francis Scott Key Elementary School annex on 43rd Avenue between Irving and Judah streets.

But Olson Lee, director of the Mayors Office of Housing and a member of the working group, claimed he had no idea which sites are under consideration.

For us, were working on the concept right now, irrespective of the site, he said. With a summer deadline set by Lee himself for picking the site fast approaching, being stuck in the concept stage seems problematic. Lee has also said a request for proposals to develop the site will be issued by the end of the year.

Mayor Ed Lee, who isnt a member of the working group, said the slow progress of the teacher housing project is a little frustrating.

I think we need the school district to partner with the private sector and the city in a much more deliberate, strategic way, he said.

But in a sign of how poor the lines of communication are between the school district, city and teachers union, the mayor said the union doesnt even want teacher housing.

When we asked the teachers union, they werent interested in housing just for teachers, the mayor said. Theyre about housing all over the city.

He then segued into a pitch for the inclusionary housing legislation sponsored by Supervisors London Breed and Ahsha Safai, which would allot a bigger portion of the citys subsidized units to middle-income earners making up to $126,000 for a family of three. Two married teachers with a child would qualify for help under the legislation, while they wouldnt under a competing proposal from Supervisors Jane Kim and Aaron Peskin. The latter would keep more units available for low-income earners.

Obviously, teachers cannot pay market rate, so they have to be included in inclusionary housing, the mayor said.

Matthew Hardy, spokesman for the United Educators of San Francisco, said the teachers union actually backs the Kim/Peskin proposal because it wants more of its low-income students families and low-paid classroom aides to qualify for help. Also, the union very much supports a teacher housing complex, Hardy said.

We desperately want educator housing, he said, noting he was surprised the mayor suggested otherwise.

Then Hardy had a novel suggestion. You should come in and mediate this group, he told me.

Um, no thanks. Teaching calculus to second-graders would probably be an easier task.

Its possible that teacher housing help wont come from San Francisco at all but from Sacramento. Assemblyman Evan Low, D-San Jose, was an aspiring teacher before he realized hed never be able to afford housing in that career. Now he has introduced a bill to help.

It would create and fund a pilot program for teachers in four of the most expensive counties in the state: San Francisco, Los Angeles, Santa Clara and San Diego.

Run by the states Housing Finance Agency, the program would provide one-time down-payment assistance, up to 20 percent of the homes sales price. It would also provide rental stipends of up to $1,500 a month.

Due to be heard in the Assemblys housing committee on Wednesday, Low said teachers wouldnt start getting help for at least a year even if the bill passes.

We didnt get here overnight, and we wont fix it overnight, he said.

Lets hope this doesnt follow the timeline of teacher housing in San Francisco.

Fresh off her soda tax win in November, Supervisor Malia Cohen has a new health crusade. On Tuesday shell introduce legislation banning the sale of flavored tobacco in San Francisco.

The federal government in 2009 banned the sale of cigarettes flavored like cloves, candy or fruit. New York City has taken it further by banning the sale of flavored tobacco except for menthol cigarettes, the most popular.

Cohen wants to implement the nations strongest ban by prohibiting the sale of all flavored tobacco, including menthol cigarettes.

The tobacco industry has an established history of targeted marketing to children, young adults and people from vulnerable communities, Cohen said. They are not unlike the sugary drinks industry in this way. In fact, big soda got their playbook from big tobacco.

It seems Cohen now has a health-based playbook of her own.

San Francisco Chronicle columnist Heather Knight appears Tuesdays and Fridays. Email: hknight@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @hknightsf

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No progress seen on housing crunch for SF teachers - San Francisco Chronicle