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Rafael Mandelman

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Rafael Mandelman
Member of the
San Francisco Board of Supervisors
from District 8
Incumbent
Assumed office
July 11, 2018
Preceded byJeff Sheehy
Personal details
Born (1973-10-17) October 17, 1973 (age 51)
San Francisco, California, U.S.
Political partyDemocratic
EducationYale University (BA)
Harvard University (MPP)
University of California, Berkeley (JD)
WebsiteOfficial website

Rafael Mandelman (born October 17, 1973) is an American attorney and politician currently serving on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, representing District 8.[1]

Early life

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Mandelman grew up in Laguna Beach, California with his mother. His parents divorced when he was three. His mother had various mental disorders and was regularly in and out of the hospital. At 11 years old, his relatives convinced Mandelman to move to San Francisco, where his paternal grandmother was. But she was too old to take care of him so he lived between homes.[2] Mandelman attended Brandeis Hillel Day School and Lick-Wilmerding High School.[2]

Mandelman earned a B.A. in History from Yale College, a Master of Public Policy from Harvard’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, and a J.D. from UC Berkeley’s School of Law.[3]

Political career

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Mandelman ran to represent District 8 in the 2010 San Francisco Board of Supervisors election, placing second against Scott Wiener.[2]

Mandelman was elected to the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees in 2012.[4]

San Francisco Supervisor

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Mandelman defeated incumbent Jeff Sheehy to represent District 8 in the June 2018 San Francisco Board of Supervisors special election, replacing Sheehy for the duration of the term.[5] Mandelman went on to win in the November general election.[6]

In 2019, he authored an ordinance to create the Castro LGBTQ Cultural District; the ordinance was passed unanimously by the San Francisco Board of Supervisors.[7][8]

Positions on housing

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Mandelman supported a resolution that expressed opposition to California Senate Bill 50, which mandates that localities allow denser housing near "job-rich" areas and transit hubs in California.[9] In 2021, Mandelman proposed to allow construction of fourplexes on single lots in San Francisco.[10] Mandelman's aide explained that the bill was intended to preempt California HOME Act (California Senate Bill 9, which was a new version of California Senate Bill 50), which Mandelman opposed.[11] In 2022, the Board of Supervisors passed Mandelman's bill. Mayor London Breed vetoed the legislation, saying that the bill was intended to sidestep California state legislation to increase housing and that Mandelman's bill included provisions that would make it harder, not easier, to build more housing.[12]

In 2021, Mandelman opposed the construction of a 500-unit apartment complex on a Nordstrom's valet parking lot.[11][13] He endorsed David Campos for California Assembly District 17. The San Francisco Chronicle tied this endorsement to Mandelman's vote to block the 500-unit housing construction project in Supervisor Matt Haney's district in San Francisco; Haney was running for the same district seat as Campos. According to the Chronicle, it is unusual for supervisors to block projects in the district of another supervisor if that supervisor approves of the project.[13]

In 2018, Mandelman co-authored a bill increasing fines for the illegal demolition of homes in order to preserve rent-controlled housing and curb the loss of residential housing.[14] He called for reform of the Ellis Act in 2018 to protect certain tenants from evictions.[15] In 2018, Mandelman sponsored a resolution declaring public support for Proposition 10, which would repeal the Costa–Hawkins Rental Housing Act and thus allow local jurisdictions to create their own rent control rules.[16]

Mandelman opposes high-rise buildings in San Francisco.[17] In 2024, Mandelman voted to override Mayor London Breed's veto of anti-housing legislation that imposed height and density restrictions on housing in the northeast waterfront and Jackson Square.[18]

Mental health and homelessness

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Mandelman introduced legislation in 2018 to streamline the opening of more residential care facilities by removing the requirement that such facilities need to obtain conditional use permits if they are serving seven or more residents in several zoning districts, but not those zoned for single-family or two-family homes.[19]

In 2019, Mandelman authored legislation implementing the housing conservatorship program created by Scott Wiener's SB 1045 for unhoused individuals suffering from severe mental illness and substance use disorder. Mandelman has repeatedly pushed for expansion of the City’s use of its existing conservatorship tools, and of State laws restricting eligibility for conservatorships.[20][21][22]

In 2022, the Board of Supervisors unanimously passed an expanded version of Mandelman's 2020 “A Place for All” ordinance, making it the policy of the City and County of San Francisco to offer all people experiencing homelessness in the City a safe place to sleep.[23]

Support of labor

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Shortly after his 2018 election, Mandelman, alongside former supervisor John Avalos, was arrested for blocking a street outside Marriott's Westin St. Francis hotel during a Labor Day protest, organized by UNITE HERE Local 2, against Marriott's wages.[24] In 2019, the Board's Public Safety and Neighborhood Services Committee held a hearing on "worker rights in the gig economy" called by Mandelman.[25] In November 2020, the Board of Supervisors unanimously approved an ordinance authored by Mandelman and Supervisor Shamann Walton requiring San Francisco International Airport airlines and contractors to expand health care benefits for employees.[26]

Personal life

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Mandelman came out as gay while at Yale University.[4]

References

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  1. ^ Dusseault, Bay City, Ruth (November 3, 2023). "Mandelman drafts charter amendment to fix San Francisco's 'deeply broken' government". Local News Matters. Archived from the original on December 15, 2023. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
  2. ^ a b c Knight, Heather (June 9, 2018). "Rafael Mandelman wants to take action on homeless problem". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  3. ^ "Rafael Mandelman Once Again Throws His Hat In The District 8 Supervisor Ring: SFist". SFist - San Francisco News, Restaurants, Events, & Sports. April 20, 2017. Archived from the original on November 2, 2021. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  4. ^ a b Smith, Stu. "Profiles of Compassion and Courage: Rafael Mandelman". SF Bay Times. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  5. ^ Swan, Rachel; Alexander, Kurtis (June 6, 2018). "Mandelman ousts incumbent Sheehy in SF's District Eight". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  6. ^ Staff, Mission Local (November 7, 2018). "Election 2018: Final tally from Election Night — Prop. C wins, Haney declares victory". Mission Local. Retrieved June 30, 2021.
  7. ^ "San Francisco to Create Castro LGBTQ Cultural District". San Francisco Bay Times. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  8. ^ "Castro LGBTQ Cultural District Designation Aims To Preserve History". KPIX-TV. June 26, 2019. Retrieved June 30, 2019.
  9. ^ "Resolution Opposing Wiener's SB 50 Housing Bill Heads to Full Board". SF Weekly. April 4, 2019. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  10. ^ Knight, Heather (July 24, 2021). "Go big or go home: S.F. supervisor juices housing legislation to allow fourplexes on every single-family lot". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
  11. ^ a b "San Francisco Planning Commission Approves Citywide Upzoning". The Real Deal New York. November 20, 2021. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  12. ^ Moench, Mallory; Morris, J.D. (July 21, 2022). "S.F. Mayor Breed vetoes law to end single-family zoning, arguing it will actually hurt housing production". SF Chronicle.
  13. ^ a b Dineen, J. K. (October 27, 2021). "Why did S.F. supervisors vote against a project to turn a parking lot into 500 housing units?". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved November 2, 2021.
  14. ^ Keeling, Brock (December 12, 2018). "SF supervisors seek to stop illegal home demolition". Curbed.
  15. ^ Madison, Alex (August 8, 2018). "Protest held for drag queens facing eviction". Bay Area Reporter.
  16. ^ Sawyer Bishari, Nuala (September 4, 2018). "S.F. Supervisors Deadlocked in Costa-Hawkins Repeal Vote". SF Weekly.
  17. ^ "Fear of Heights: Why A Planned Tower Near SF's Waterfront Keeps Rising, Despite Aaron Peskin's Best Efforts". The Frisc. 2024.
  18. ^ Toledo, Aldo (2024). "S.F. Mayor Breed loses latest housing fight as supervisors override her veto of controversial legislation". San Francisco Chronicle.
  19. ^ Sabatini, Joshua (September 19, 2018). "New limits proposed on office space at Union Square". SF Examiner.
  20. ^ "CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE PASSES BILL TO EXPAND CONSERVATORSHIP LAWS TO HELP HOMELESS INDIVIDUALS WITH SEVERE MENTAL HEALTH & SUBSTANCE USE DISORDERS". SENATOR SCOTT WIENER. August 31, 2018.
  21. ^ Campodonico, Christina (March 16, 2021). "For Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, Conservatorship Is Personal". SF Standard.
  22. ^ Knight, Heather (June 11, 2022). "A mentally ill S.F. man slept in a planter box before being accused of murder. Now acquitted, he may be left on the streets". SF Chronicle.
  23. ^ "San Francisco passes 'A Place For All' law to guarantee shelter". CBS Bay Area. June 8, 2022.
  24. ^ Bishari, Nuala (September 4, 2018). "Mandelman, Avalos Arrested in Labor Day Protest". SF Weekly.
  25. ^ Sabatini, Joshua (June 18, 2019). "Mandelman to hold hearing on working conditions for gig workers to boost push for labor protections". San Francisco Examiner.
  26. ^ DiFeliciantonio, Chase (November 13, 2020). "S.F. moves to expand health care for thousands of airport workers, families". San Francisco Chronicle.
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