San Francisco repeals ban on travel to states with restrictions on LGBT people and abortion
Eden Villalovas
The San Francisco Board of Supervisors repealed a law Tuesday prohibiting funding travel or doing business with companies in 30 states that instituted restrictions on LGBT people, abortion, and voting.
In a 7-4 vote for the change, supervisors argued that Administrative Code Chapter 12X had outlived its purpose and that city contracts have risen in costs because fewer companies are able to bid on them. The law was first passed in 2016, barring business with states passing restrictions on LGBT people. In 2019, the ban extended to states with limited abortion access, and in 2021, it extended once more to states that enacted laws restricting voting rights.
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Ahsha Safai wrote the reversal proposal, while supervisors Connie Chan, Myrna Melgar, Dean Preston, and Shamann Walton opposed the motion.
“I do think that the intent behind 12X was good and correct, but […] it’s not achieving the goal we want to achieve,” Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, who wrote 12X and now is sponsoring the repeal, told the board on Tuesday.
Mandelman argued that leaders need to focus on the city of San Francisco’s needs and do what is best for the city’s population.
San Francisco faces rising construction costs and increasing inflation and interest rates as the city is slow to recover from the pandemic. San Francisco has some of the highest homeless population rates in the state, at 4.5%, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, raising the demand to lower building costs.
San Francisco Mayor London Breed asked for federal assistance to tackle a rise in drugs, violence, and homelessness in a letter to the U.S. Attorney for Northern California in March.
This repeal comes as California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s tour to boost red-state Democrats wraps up. He traveled to Republican states he banned travel to, such as Alabama and Florida, to advocate Democratic policies.
With $10 million left over from his 2022 governor run, Newsom launched a new political action committee as part of his “Campaign For Democracy,” promoting liberal ideas in the deep south ahead of the 2024 election.
Newsom has been one of the most notable possible contenders for the 2024 Democratic bid but has said in the past that he will not challenge Biden for the nomination. Newsom pledged his support for Biden shortly after his reelection announcement on Tuesday.
“It’s time to step up — and there’s no one better to lead that fight than President Biden,” Newsom wrote on Twitter. “Looking forward to another 4 years of his leadership.”
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The supervisors addressed that public safety must be a top priority as California struggles with housing insecurity and other various crises.
“I think it was well intentioned,” Assembly member Matt Haney said. “But I think it absolutely makes sense for the board to evaluate the policy and to make appropriate changes to ensure we can keep contract costs down and if it is also having a real impact on reactionary policies across the country.”