Rules Committee forwards City Hall Preservation nominees to full board

The Rules Committee of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors on May 22 recommended mayoral nominees to the City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission and agreed to send the items to the full Board for consideration on June 6, 2023.

Chair Supervisor Matt Dorsey moved "to strike the word reject everywhere it appears in all 3 motions and send the items to the full board for approval," and the committee approved the amendment and recommendation unanimously. The clerk recorded votes of Vice Chair Shimon Walton, Supervisor Asha Safai and Chair Dorsey as "Aye."

The committee considered three appointments: the reappointment of Ellen Schumer to a term ending Jan. 13, 2026; the reappointment of Mei Wu to a term ending Jan. 13, 2026 (Ms. Wu was not connected at the meeting); and the appointment of Clarence Blanchard to a term ending Jan. 13, 2024. Chair Dorsey described the commission’s role as overseeing the preservation of City Hall’s historic character and physical condition.

Ellen Schumer, a docent and long-time historian of the building, said, "the building really is beautiful. There is nothing else like it in the world," and noted the structure’s age and distinctive Beaux-Arts architecture. Clarence Blanchard summarized his decades of municipal maintenance and construction experience, including work on city buildings since 1970, and asked the committee to consider him for the appointment.

Two callers provided public comment in support of the nominees: Laurie Temis, a District 10 resident, endorsed Clarence Blanchard; and David Pilpel endorsed Ellen Schumer as "a fantastic historian, docent, keeper of the building." The committee closed public comment before taking the motion.

By forwarding the nominations, the committee recommended that the full Board reappoint Ellen Schumer and Mei Wu and appoint Clarence Blanchard to the City Hall Preservation Advisory Commission; the Board is expected to consider the items at its June 6 meeting.