Rules Committee approves amended SRO cleaning and health-information rules, forwards ordinance to full Board

The Rules Committee voted on April 18 to adopt amendments to an ordinance updating protections for occupants of single-room-occupancy (SRO) hotels and to forward the measure to the full Board of Supervisors.

Sponsor Supervisor Aaron Peskin, with co-sponsorship from Supervisor Connie Chan, said the ordinance removes outdated pandemic-era references to health orders and updates requirements for SRO operators. A non-substantive amendment described by the sponsor changes a twice-a-day post-outbreak cleaning requirement to a minimum of at least once per day when requested and adds a requirement that operators provide soap or hand-sanitizer dispensers in common areas.

The ordinance as described would also require SRO operators to provide contact-tracing information related to infectious disease during the COVID-19 pandemic and direct the Department of Public Health to maintain a telephone hotline to respond to SRO residents' questions about isolation, quarantine, testing and other COVID-related matters; the sponsor said the proposal removes other outdated public-facing COVID-data provisions.

Two members of the public supported the amendment during the hearing. SRO resident Yizin Yang, speaking through an interpreter, described living with a family of four in "less than a 100 square feet" and said daily cleaning and hand soap would reduce the risk of infection: "This ordinance is about protecting us, a vulnerable population," she said. Kevin Thomason, director of the Lower Polk tenant-landlord clinic and formerly homeless, said shared common areas "sometimes can be nightmares" and urged sanitation mandates; he suggested explicitly listing toilet seats among examples of surfaces to sanitize.

The committee adopted the eight listed amendments and forwarded the ordinance, as amended, to the full Board; roll-call votes were recorded as unanimous "Aye." The item is expected on the Board agenda on April 26.