Scott Wiener (born May 11,1970)[1] is an American politician who has served in the California State Senate since 2016. A Democrat,he represents the 11th district,encompassing San Francisco and parts of San Mateo County. He is also the co-chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus.[2]
Before running for the Board of Supervisors,Wiener served as chair of the San Francisco County Democratic Central Committee.[9]
In 2016,Wiener ran for the 11th Senate District,to succeed termed out Senator Mark Leno.[10] As it is required to include a Chinese name on the ballot (17% of San Francisco speaks Chinese),Wiener,who is very tall,chose the name (Chinese:威善高;pinyin:Wēi Shàngāo;Jyutping:Wai1 Sin6 Gou1),meaning "bold,majestic,charitable and tall".[11][12]
Wiener received several endorsements,including one by Senator Leno.[10] He ultimately defeated fellow Supervisor Jane Kim in the November general election,to win election to the State Senate.[13]
Wiener won re-election to his state senate seat in 2020[14] and 2024.[15]
San Francisco Supervisor
Wiener was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on November 2,2010,carrying 42.4% of the vote in the first round of ranked choice voting.[16] After the two lowest candidates were dropped,Wiener won election with 18,239 votes,or 55.4%,over the second-place finisher,attorney Rafael Mandelman.[16]
Wiener was re-elected on November 4,2014,on the first round of ranked choice voting,carrying a majority of the vote.[17]
Housing
In 2011,after a string of fires caused by arson in San Francisco's Castro district,Wiener authored legislation allowing residents temporarily displaced by fires or natural disasters to rent other apartments at below-market rates.[18] Previously,landlords willing to rent out apartments to a tenant on a temporary basis could not offer lower rents without locking these rates in at that rate under rent control.[18]
In 2012,Wiener passed legislation promoting the production of student housing while restricting the conversion of existing rental stock to student housing.[19] That same year,the Board passed legislation to allow the construction of residential units as small as 220 square feet,known as micro-apartments.[20]
In 2014,Wiener introduced two measures to allow the construction of new in-law units in San Francisco:The first allows units to be built within the Castro neighborhood,[21] and the second allows owners of buildings undergoing seismic retrofit to add in-law units.[22] In 2016,Wiener authored legislation to fast-track the approval of affordable housing projects.[23]
In 2016,Wiener introduced legislation to extend rent control protections to people living with HIV/AIDS.[24]
Transportation
Wiener focused much of his policy work on San Francisco's public transportation. He criticized the lack of investment in transit in San Francisco,and advocated for additional funding measures.[25] His proposals included changing the transit-impact development fee[25] and a ballot measure to tie Muni funding to population growth.[26] The latter measure,Measure B,required 75% of increased funding to improve Muni reliability and 25% of the funding to improve street safety.[27] Measure B was passed on November 4,2014.[17]
Wiener also encouraged increases in the number of taxis in San Francisco[28] and supported expanding access to car-share programs.[29]
In 2013,the full Board of Supervisors passed Wiener's legislative package to streamline pedestrian safety projects.[30] The legislation included creating a centralized Street Design Review Committee,making it easier for developers to implement pedestrian safety projects as gifts to the city,and amending the Fire Code to provide more leeway for sidewalk extensions.[30]
Over his tenure as a Supervisor,Wiener advocated for increased pedestrian safety by advocating against widening streets.[31] In 2014,this led to a public disagreement with the San Francisco Fire Department around street design at new developments at Hunters Point and Candlestick Point.[31] The Fire Department sought to widen streets in these developments to be 26 feet wide,6 feet wider than the legal requirement.[32]
Public spaces
In 2012,Wiener sponsored controversial legislation banning nudity at un-permitted events,which was eventually passed by the Board.[33] Wiener stated that "[t]his is what local government is for—to respond to the issues affecting citizens where they live."[34]
In 2013,the Board of Supervisors passed another bill authored by Wiener establishing park hours for San Francisco's parks. The supervisor claimed the ban was needed to combat vandalism and illegal dumping. Critics said it was unfairly aimed at the homeless.[35]
Wiener was active in promoting and regulating food trucks. In 2013,Wiener's legislation establishing guidelines for San Francisco's food truck industry was passed by the Board of Supervisors.[36]
Another of Wiener's policy focuses was increasing government spending on parks,including supporting the expansion of park patrol in budget negotiations.[37] Wiener also authored legislation to have the city government purchase a parking lot on 24th Street and turn it into a public park.[38]
On the Budget Committee,Wiener advocated for adding government funding for maintenance and safety in San Francisco's parks and other public spaces.[39] He was also involved in efforts to increase municipal spending on street resurfacing[40] and maintenance of street trees and park trees.[41]
Environment
In 2015,Wiener authored legislation to make San Francisco the first city in the country to require water recycling in new developments.[42] He also proposed legislation to require each unit in multi-unit buildings have their own water submeters.[43]
Nightlife and culture
Early in his first term,Wiener requested a study of the economic impacts of entertainment and nightlife,an issue in his first campaign.[44] The study,completed by the San Francisco City Economist,found San Francisco nightlife generated $4.2 billion in economic productivity in 2010.[45]
In 2013,Wiener authored legislation to make it easier for businesses to get permits for DJs,and to offer a new permit to allow for live music in plazas.[46]
HIV and LGBT issues
In September 2014,in an online essay on the Huffington Post,Wiener revealed that he was taking Truvada,a pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) that reduces the risk of HIV infection.[47] Wiener stated that he disclosed his usage of PrEP in an effort to reduce the stigma around taking the HIV prevention medication. Wiener also cited the need for more awareness and expanding access as other keys for making PrEP successful.[48] He also worked with David Campos to support ensuring low-cost access to Truvada for pre-exposure prophylaxis against HIV after Wiener revealed his own PrEP use.[49]
As a member of the Board's budget committee,Wiener advocated for HIV/AIDS services and restoring lost federal funds.[50] In 2016,he helped secure funding for San Francisco's Getting to Zero effort,which aims to end all new HIV infections in San Francisco.[51]
In 2016,he introduced a bill,passed by the Board,barring the city from doing business with companies based in states that have laws that bar policies banning discrimination against lesbian,gay,bisexual,and transgender people,such as North Carolina,Tennessee,and Mississippi.[52] The law was repealed by the Board in April 2023 because it had been determined to be ineffective as well as increased costs for the city by up to 20%.[53]
Parental leave
In 2016,Wiener authored first-in-the-country legislation to require fully paid parental leave for new parents after childbirth or adoption,applying to both parents. As a result of this legislation,employers in San Francisco must give employees up to six weeks of paid time off.[54]
Soda tax
In 2014,Wiener introduced a ballot measure that would have imposed a two cents per ounce tax on the distribution of sodas and other sweetened beverages,and used the money to fund "healthy choices" in San Francisco.[55] The measure,which was also sponsored by Supervisors Malia Cohen,Eric Mar,John Avalos,David Chiu,and David Campos,aimed to reduce soda consumption and increase programs to combat the rise of diabetes and other related diseases in San Francisco.[56] The proposal was endorsed by much of San Francisco's local political establishment,including all its state legislators,and many health organizations,[57] but voters in the November 4,2014,election did not give the measure the 2⁄3supermajority required to impose a new tax.[17] The American Beverage Association spent more than $9 million to defeat Measure E,[58] which was also opposed by the Libertarian Party of San Francisco. Ultimately, the measure garnered 55.6% of the vote,[17] below the 66.7% needed to pass.
Business regulation
In June 2024, Wiener co-authored SB 1524 with Bill Dodd to amend California's "junk fees" legislation (SB 478). The amendment created an exemption allowing restaurants and food service providers to continue adding service charges and mandatory gratuities to bills, provided these fees are "clearly and conspicuously" displayed on menus and advertisements.[59] The original SB 478, sponsored by Attorney General Rob Bonta and co-authored by Senators Dodd and Nancy Skinner, had banned hidden fees across various industries starting July 1, 2024.[60]
The restaurant exemption bill passed unanimously in both the California State Senate and Assembly. Wiener stated the amendment "strikes the right balance between supporting restaurants and delivering transparency for consumers." Co-author Matt Haney acknowledged that restaurants were unintentionally affected by the original legislation, stating "This should have never happened in the first place."[61]
State Senate
Wiener serves as the Chair of the Senate Housing Committee in the California State Senate and is a member of the Energy, Utilities and Communications Committee, as well as Governance and Finance, Joint Legislative Audit, and Public Safety Committees. He is also the Assistant Majority Whip and serves as the Chair of the California Legislative LGBTQ Caucus.[62]
Psychedelic decriminalization
In 2021, Wiener authored, sponsored, and introduced SB-519, a bill that provides for the decriminalization of psilocybin, DMT (N,N-Dimethyltryptamine), LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide), ibogaine, ketamine, mescaline, and MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine) in the state of California. The bill would eliminate criminal penalties for the consumption, possession, and social sharing of these substances and the plants or fungi that contain them. The bill also has a provision that legalizes the furnishing of these substances by licensed physicians/NPs/PAs and licensed mental health practitioners for therapeutic purposes in the treatment of patients.[63] SB-519 passed in the California State Senate by a vote of 21–16 on June 1, 2021.[64] It headed to the California Assembly for a vote to determine final approval, however, after a third reading it was ordered to the inactive file on August 25, 2022, by Assemblywoman Eloise Gómez Reyes. It officially died on November 30, 2022, in the Assembly with no further action to be taken.[65] SB-519 reemerged as SB-58 for the 2023-2024 session and on September 7 passed in the senate with 21 ayes and 14 noes. The bill was presented to Governor Gavin Newsom on September 13, 2023, and he vetoed it on October 7.[66]
HIV and LGBT issues
In 2017, Wiener originated three bills centered around HIV and LGBT issues. He co-authored Senate Bill 239, which lowered the penalty of exposing someone to HIV without their knowledge and consent from a felony to a misdemeanor.[67] Wiener said that the laws had unfairly singled out HIV-positive people.[68] The bill passed and was signed by Governor Jerry Brown on October 6, 2017.[69]
Wiener co-authored Senate Bill 179 in 2017, to create a third, non-binary gender option on government documents, which passed in 2018.[70][71]
Wiener authored Senate Bill 219 in 2017, which strengthened protections against "discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or HIV status" for LGBT seniors living in long-term care facilities.[72] The bill was opposed by groups who argued that the bill criminalized bathroom gender designations and would force care providers to address those under their care with gender-appropriate language.[73] Wiener called these arguments "transphobic" and "absurd".[74] The naming provision of the law was overturned on July 16, 2021, after the Third District Court of Appeals ruled that the law violated employees' free speech rights.[75]
In October 2019, Governor Gavin Newsom signed Wiener's legislation expanding access to HIV-prevention medications PrEP and PEP. Under the new law, pharmacists can distribute HIV pre- and post-prophylaxes without a physician's prescription.[76]
In 2019 and 2020, Wiener attempted to pass Senate Bill 201,[77] a bill that would have restricted physician and parents' ability to decide to perform reconstructive genital surgery on intersex infants, and would instead require the impacted child be old enough to decide to undergo surgery.[78] The bill was opposed by the California Medical Association and other medical groups who said they would not be able to apply medical expertise, which would threaten patient safety. The bill died in committee.[79][80] Wiener re-introduced the bill a second time in January 2021, this time as Senate Bill 225.[81]
Wiener introduced Senate Bill 145 on January 18, 2019.[82] The bill proposed to remove the requirement to place someone convicted of non-forcible oral or anal sex with a minor over the age of 14 (provided the convicted is less than 10 years older) on the sex offender registry, instead leaving this to the judge’s discretion, as was the case for vaginal sex.[83] He argued that existing law was discriminatory towards LGBT couples where the partners were just above and below the age of legal consent. Wiener received online harassment and death threats from those who claimed the bill protected pedophiles.[84] The bill was signed into law by Gavin Newsom in September 2020.[85]
In 2021, Wiener authored SB 107, a "trans refuge bill" to protect transgender children seeking gender affirming care in California and their families from civil and criminal punishment under other states' laws.[86] The law would restrict the enforcement of out-of-state laws and policies that penalize gender affirming care in subpoenas, arrest warrants, and in parental custody cases.[87][88] SB 107 became law in 2022.[86]
Solar energy and storage
In 2017, Wiener sponsored two bills that expanded solar and renewable energy use in California.[89] Senate Bill 71 required solar to be installed on many new buildings in California;[90] the bill's rooftop mandate was loosened by regulators in 2020 to allow offsite solar to be purchased instead.[91] Senate Bill 700 created a 10-year program to give rebates to customers who install energy storage systems, including batteries.[92][93]
Net neutrality
In 2018, Wiener authored Senate Bill 822 which enacted net neutrality protections.[94] Later signed by the governor, this bill reinstated Obama-era regulations in California and banned zero-rating. This legislation was the subject of litigation from the US Justice Department and several trade groups.[95] In February 2021, the Justice Department dropped out of the lawsuit, and a federal judge dismissed the challenge by the trade groups.[96]
In 2019, Wiener co-authored Senate Bill 27, which would have required presidential candidates to disclose their tax returns to be eligible to appear on a California primary ballot.[97] The bill was signed into law by Gavin Newsom and subsequently challenged in court by lawyers of Donald Trump.[98] In September 2019, a federal judge blocked the law, stating it violated four separate sections of the Constitution of the United States in addition to a separate federal law.[99][100] The Attorney General of California appealed the judge's decision, with a decision expected by a federal appeals court sometime after the March 2020 primary election.
In 2019, Senator Wiener authored Senate Bill 127, a "complete streets" bill which would increase the amount of revenue from the state's new gas tax that could be directed to bike lanes or pedestrian improvements from $100 million to $1 billion. The bill received a veto from Governor Newsom due to opposition from Caltrans over its cost and the potential loss of federal highway funds.[102][103]
In 2024, Weiner authored SB 960, another "complete streets" bill which mandates that Caltrans prioritize road improvements for pedestrians, cyclists, and public transit riders on state-owned city surface streets, as well as document and publish reasons for failure, and include complete streets facilities, including transit priority facilities, in the asset management plan. Newsom signed the bill into law on September 27, 2024.[104][105]
State estate tax
In 2019, Wiener co-authored Senate Bill 378, which would have imposed a 40 percent estate tax in California for estates over $3.5 million, or $7 million for a married couple, until the federal estate tax threshold is reached.[106] The bill failed to move out of committee.[107]
Housing
In 2017, Wiener authored SB 35 (which was approved as part of a 15-bill housing package that also included funding and other bills to reform housing production in California)[108][109] which will require the cities that have fallen behind on their state housing production goals to streamline approval of new housing.[110][111]
"Local control is about how a community achieves its housing goals, not whether it achieves those goals," Wiener said in a statement. "SB 35 sets clear and reasonable standards to ensure that all communities are part of the solution by creating housing for our growing population."[110]
A study by the UC Berkeley Terner Center for Housing Innovation found that SB 35 resulted in approvals for 18,215 housing units in the immediate three years after its implementation, two-thirds of which was affordable housing.[112]
In 2018, in an effort to address the state's housing affordability crisis and CO2 emissions, Wiener introduced Senate Bill 827, which would require cities and counties to allow apartment buildings of four to eight stories in "transit rich areas"—defined as land within a half-mile of a major transit stop or a quarter mile of a stop on a high-frequency bus route.[113] Wiener introduced the bill as part of a housing package, along with bills to make it easier to build farmworker housing and to improve local accountability to build new housing.[114] SB 827 failed to make it out of committee.[115] In 2019, Wiener introduced SB 50, a follow-up to Senate Bill 827. This version did not advance through committee in the senate in 2019 and was reconsidered in the 2020 legislative session, where it was killed in a senate floor vote, marking the third failed attempt by Wiener to pass a transit-density housing bill.[116][117][118]
In 2020, in a fourth failed attempt at passing a statewide upzoning bill, Senator Wiener introduced legislation (Senate Bill 902) that would allow 2 to 4 unit apartment buildings on single-family lots throughout California, depending on a city's size.[119][120]
Wiener was the co-author of a fifth failed upzoning bill in 2020, Senate Bill 1120, which would have required the approval of duplexes proposed on any single family lot in California.[121]
In 2021, Wiener successfully authored and co-authored several housing bills. Wiener authored Senate Bill 10 and Senate Bill 478, and he co-authored Senate Bill 9 as well.[122][123][124] SB 9 upzones most of California to allow for up to 4 housing units per lot, and SB 10 makes it easier for local governments to rezone for higher densities near transit rich areas.[125] SB 478 prevents local governments from imposing a FAR or a minimum lot size that would make dense housing impossible.[126] Both bills were signed into law by Newsom in September 2021.
In 2022, Wiener co-authored SB 886, which would exempt the UC, CSU and community college systems from the lengthy California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) review process. The CEQA process has been used to obstruct, delay, and block campus and housing developments in California. Earlier in 2022, UC Berkeley was forced to cut its enrollment figures because some Berkeley residents used CEQA to block and delay Berkeley from enrolling students.[127] Newsom signed the bill into law on September 28, 2022.
Wiener also co-sponsored AB 2097, which abolished parking minimums for homes and commercial buildings within a half-mile (0.80 km) of public transit, or for neighborhoods with low rates of car use.[128]
In 2024, after the California HOME Act was struck down in a superior court on constitutionality grounds, Weiner voted in favor of SB 450, which clarified the language of the HOME Act to comply with the ruling and increase its enforceability against local governments.[129] Weiner also co-authored SB 312, which clarified implementation language regarding SB 886, and SB 937, which allows housing developers to defer payment of their impact fees until completion of the project. Newsom signed all three bills into law in September 2024.
Alcohol sales until 4 AM
Nationwide, 2 AM is the most common last call time, though bars in New York City can serve until 4am and some until 5am in Chicago.[130] Citing the cultural and economic benefits of nightlife, Wiener proposed legislation to allow cities to extend alcohol sales in bars and restaurants to 4am.[131] Senator Mark Leno, Wiener's predecessor, had attempted to pass a similar bill. The bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support,[132] but failed in the Assembly.[133] Wiener reintroduced the bill the following year, this time limited to six cities whose mayors had supported the idea: San Francisco, Oakland, Los Angeles, Sacramento, West Hollywood, and Long Beach.[134] The bill (SB 905) was expanded to include Palm Springs, Cathedral City and Coachella, and passed the Assembly 51–22 and the Senate 28–8.[135] Governor Jerry Brown vetoed the legislation September 28, 2018, citing California Highway Patrol concerns over drunk drivers.[136]
Wiener's most recent bill, SB 930, would allow seven cities to serve alcohol until 4am under a five-year pilot program, if their city councils allow it.[130] Proponents say that it would help venues still recovering from the pandemic stay in business, while opponents say that it would add to alcohol-related problems, including DUIs in cities adjacent to those allowing later last calls.[130][137]
Environment
In January 2021, Wiener introduced SB 252, the Bear Protection Act. Sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, SB 252 would ban the sport hunting of black bears, except in situations where the bears must be killed for safety reasons, protecting property, livestock, endangered species, or scientific research.[138] This legislation drew immediate support from animal rights activists. Critics of SB 252 claim that Bear Tags (the license needed to go bear hunting) generate $1.39 million in revenue that goes towards California's wildlife agency.[139]
In February 2024, Wiener proposed SB 1227, one of the broadest rollbacks of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) to allow most projects in downtown San Francisco to bypass the law for the next decade. Some critics said it would be a giveaway to developers. David Lewis, executive director of Save the Bay, said the plan sounded "pretty extreme".[140]
Vehicular speed governors
In January 2024, Wiener proposed SB 961 that would require every passenger vehicle, truck and bus manufactured or sold in California to have speed governors starting in 2027. These would automatically limit the vehicle's speed to 10 miles per hour (16km/h) above the legal limit.[141]
As co-chair of the California Legislative Jewish Caucus, Wiener has been instrumental in advancing several pieces of legislation aimed at promoting Holocaust education, as well as countering antisemitism and anti-Israel activism, especially on university campuses.[143][144] Wiener and CLJC worked to include "guardrails" in the ethnic studies legislation to "provide clear direction to local school districts and the California Department of Education that anti-Jewish and anti-Israel content cannot be included in the teaching of ethnic studies".[145][146] Through CLJC, Wiener played an important role in securing $80 million from the state budget for various Jewish community priorities for 2024-2025,[147] as well as a similar amount in 2021.[148] Wiener and CLJC have also been criticized by Jewish Voice for Peace for "twist[ing] criticism [of Israel] into antisemitism"[149] and opposing a Gaza cease-fire resolution in Sacramento, while only stating that Israel should "be more surgical" in Gaza.[150] Wiener and other CLJC officials commended California State University Chancellor Mildred García for placing Sonoma State University President Mike Lee on leave after Lee announced support for an academic boycott of Israel in agreement with protesters and Students for Justice in Palestine,[151][152][153] which was seen as aligning with the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement, and which Wiener described as "horrific and wrong".[154][155][156]
Fundraising
Of the $1,110,296.82 that Wiener fundraised in 2020, 30.6% came from the real estate lobby, then tech (15.4%), followed by labor unions (11.3%). One-third of the money from labor came from unions representing the building trades.[157] 51% of his funding during came from within his Senate district, while 49% came from the rest of California.[157] The 34% of his contributors who donated $1,000 or more made up 83% of his total raised. While 23% of Wiener’s contributions were $100 or less, these small contributions came from only 2.2% of his supporters, many of whom donated repeatedly. [157]
Incidents
Robbery
In 2015, Wiener was robbed of his cell phone on the corner of 16th and Valencia in San Francisco. He negotiated with the would-be thieves and got them to agree to accept $200 for the return of his phone. The foursome walked to a nearby ATM, where the transaction was caught on tape by the cameras at the ATM. A Wells Fargo security guard also observed the robbery in progress, and called the police.[158] A woman and a man were later arrested and charged with second-degree robbery.[159] In June 2018, the same woman was arrested again for a similar incident at the same BART station.[160] The same woman was arrested yet again in March 2020, and then one more time in April 2020.[161]
Bomb threat
In June 2022, Wiener was the victim of a false bomb threat, reportedly due to his work on behalf of the LGBT community.[162]
↑ Britschgi, Christian (April 13, 2021). "Scott Wiener Is California's 'YIMBY' State Senator". Reason. Wiener is a YIMBY, which stands for 'yes in my backyard'. Unlike Fielder and many other powerful California Democrats, he believes that making it easier for private actors to build more housing in the state's densest and most expensive cities is key to relieving California's housing shortage.
↑ Wiener, Scott (July 1, 2019). "Tweet by @Scott_Wiener". The growing #YIMBY movement is changing everything: making clear that housing is a good thing, that we need more of it, that our housing status quo is broken, & that it isn't progressive to obstruct housing. Let's keep fighting for a bright housing future.
↑ Morris, J. D. (April 25, 2023). "S.F. repeals its boycott of 30 states that passed conservative laws. Here's why". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved April 27, 2023. A central goal of the boycott was to put pressure on other states, but a recent report by City Administrator Carmen Chu's office found that only one state had been removed from the list and none ever said they changed their laws because of San Francisco's. Additionally, the report found that the law made city contracting a more cumbersome and expensive process. An earlier report from the board's Budget and Legislative Analyst found that implementing the boycott had cost the city nearly $475,000 in staffing expenses. And the city was approving a large number of exemptions to the boycott anyway: Departments granted 538 waivers for contracts worth $791 million between mid-2021 and mid-2022, the report found. The legislative analyst said the full effect of the boycott on the city's contract costs was difficult to pin down but pointed to past research that had found that a fully competitive process could produce savings up to 20%.
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