SF PROPEL

Congrats to UESF on their wins! When SF rallies behind our educators, we all win. Our public schools are a valuable resource worth fighting for. Watch the highlights and follow for more coverage of progressive movements in San Francisco.

SFUSD leaders are telling us to run toward the "fiscal cliff" as budget cuts drive away educators and families. What if, instead, we invest the district's massive reserve fund to build a bridge to a better future?

SFUSD parents are walking the picket lines in solidarity with educational workers.

Why? Because PROPEL’s recent report reveals $400 million in reserves — that should be getting spent responsibly on students and educators NOW.

Read “Supporting SF Schools With Real Numbers” at link in bio.

The Bay stays ready! PROPEL contributor Gabi Aleman has the 4 things we can do NOW to fight for a pro-immigrant Bay — beyond the 🏈 Super Bowl 🏈. Read the rundown linked in bio!

Read the full rundown, let us know what we’re missing

Big thanks to the @sfbaysierraclub.bsky.social, Sara Moncada, Sarah Minick and Stephen Torres for an insightful discussion on local initiatives and a collective mindset supporting inclusive environmental justice.

Follow us for future community panels!

Confused about SFUSD’s “structural deficit”? Frustrated by the lack of investment in public education? Wanna support our schools through a brutal budget season?

Start by getting informed with critical facts on SFUSD’s budget in the latest PROPEL policy explainer.

Link in bio.

A bank owned by the people of San Francisco. It's not a new idea — it's been 15 years in the making.

Watch the full explainer through the link in our bio.

An increased number of leaders both inside and outside of the tech industry are warning of the perils of a laissez-faire approach to government oversight and regulation.

Read PROPEL’s latest breakdown of 3 things S.F. can be doing now to lead on both tech innovation AND common-sense safety.

A $2,500 loan may be enough to fix an awning, but it's not enough to help a small business sustain or grow, especially when these loans can take months and months to come through.

But community organizers have been working for years on an innovative solution. Follow for part four.

Gravel and Gold was denied an important loan, despite being in great financial shape. This is the product of the decline of community banks and limited access to capital.

Our latest explainer points out an innovative solution that could help our small businesses. Watch at the link in our bio.

How can the city of San Francisco keep our small businesses thriving, and create capital for innovative progressive policies?

Watch our new explainer at the link in our bio! Follow SF PROPEL for updates.

New year and housing affordability continues to be top of mind in the SF Bay Area. Come meet some of your friendly neighborhood housing and tenant advocates and learn what's on deck for 2026 -- and how you can get involved! RSVP at the link in our bio!

Since 2003, community banks have steadily disappeared. The cause for this quiet shift? The rise and dominance of venture capital, whose performance demands cannot accommodate the returns on small businesses. Follow for our next breakdown.

Rising vacancies in the Haight pushed SF to try something new. With 70% voter support, the Commercial Vacancy Tax now helps fund small business grants and revitalizes neighborhood corridors.

Here’s a short explainer on how the policy works and why it matters.

working on it 💅

Small businesses are the literal backbone of San Francisco’s diverse neighborhoods, yet they continue to be impacted by the city’s affordabilty crisis.

The whole episode is up on our website and YouTube. Follow for Pt. 2

The loss of hundreds of affordable units at 3 key neighborhood Safeway sites has spurred renewed calls to create an Affordable Housing SUD to guarantee affordability on large opportunity sites. PROPEL was featured in this week’s Chronicle story with critical action steps.

SF is rewriting the Family Zoning Plan—your voice matters. Send a letter today. Link in bio.

Your supervisor needs to hear from you — not lobbyists, not special interests. The link in our bio let's you send a letter in under two minutes.

The right housing policy does all three:
✅ Preserves our homes
✅ Protects who is here
✅ Produces the affordable housing we need
That’s how we keep San Francisco a city for all.

Diverse and vibrant communities make San Francisco shine– our policies should strengthen, not erase, our families and our neighbors.

To ensure tenant protections, small business support, and to live by our values, we must reject the billionaire false choice.

Come out October 20 to support affordability for all of us.

We can build housing without displacement. It’s going to take all of us to make it happen.

Come to Room 408 at 1pm on October 1 to tell the Prop E Task Force commission why transparency is important to a democratic society.

Don’t let the billionaires do a hatchet job on government accountability and oversight!

When it comes to affordable housing, there is currently no one agency or commission that oversees strategic planning or funding delivery for housing projects in SF... yet! It's actually one of PROPEL's four ideas for building more affordable housing faster. Learn more at the link in bio.

Revolving loan funds are an effective model for not only acquiring and rehabbing at-risk buildings, but funding new construction.

Read our analysis of three ways the city can meaningfully fund affordable housing projects.

Link in bio.

Rising construction costs and stagnant interest rates mean the private market will not provide truly affordable housing.

Read our analysis of three funding measures that would meaningfully impact the city's ability to build the housing we desperately need.

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For years, the Real Estate industry has pushed deregulation policies. Local leaders are pushing for even *more* new office towers. SF deserves smart housing policies. If you’re interested in learning more, come out to one of our forums and get engaged!

Next up: Monday, Aug 25 at Wah Mei - Irving

Monday! We’re hosting the next in our series of Affordable Neighborhood Forums, at the Wah Mei Center at 1555 Irving St, in the heart of the Inner Sunset. Join us to hear from expert panelists from @sfccho.bsky.social, SF Anti-Displacement Coalition and the Sunset Chinese Cultural District

What is SF PROPEL? We are a progressive advocacy and policy lab that’s focused on the issues – not the personalities. We host informative community events, translate policy research resources and work with progressive advocacy groups. Follow us and come to one of our events to get engaged.