Rules committee recommends former commissioner Joel Koppel to full board

The San Francisco Board of Supervisors’ Rules Committee on July 28 voted to recommend Joel Koppel’s nomination to the full board for the Planning Commission, moving the nomination forward as a committee report.

Koppel, who previously served on the Planning Commission from 2016 to 2024 and now works as government affairs director for the San Francisco Electrical Contractors Association, told the committee he ‘‘literally built this city with my hands and still have the scars to prove it’’ and promised to ‘‘vote my conscience’’ while balancing neighborhood and developer concerns. President Mandelmann introduced Koppel by highlighting his construction-industry experience and prior leadership on the commission.

Supervisors questioned Koppel on how the Planning Commission’s role has changed amid state law changes and the family zoning plan; Koppel said many projects are now ministerial but that discretionary review still has a role when facts warrant it and that he supports the family zoning plan. Public commenters including labor and developer representatives—Teamsters Joint Council 7, San Francisco Firefighters Local 798 and Emerald Fund—spoke in favor of Koppel’s reappointment, citing building-safety and workforce perspectives.

After public comment and brief committee discussion, President Mandelmann moved to delete the word ‘‘rejecting’’ from the motions and forward the nomination as a positive committee report; Vice Chair Steven Sherrill and Member Mandelmann voted aye and the motion passed without objection. The nomination will next go to the full Board of Supervisors.