San Francisco’s Civil(ˈsivəl) War(wôr)

San Francisco’s Civil(ˈsivəl) War(wôr)

YIMBYs! Socialists(ˈsōSHəˌlist)! The only thing the Bay(bā) Area’s(ˈe(ə)rēə) tenant(ˈtenənt) activists hate(hāt) more than high rent is each other.

By Henry(ˈhenrē) Grabar

Local politics(ˈpäləˌtiks) is always, in one way or another, about housing. In San Francisco, a deep blue city whose fault lines long ago ceased(sēs) to resemble(riˈzembəl) America’s, that politics is a vitriolic(ˌvitrēˈälik) civic(ˈsivik) scrimmage(ˈskrimij), where people who agree about almost every national(ˈnaSHənəl) issue(ˈiSHo͞o) make sworn(swôrn) enemies(ˈenəmē) over zoning(zōn), demolition(ˌdeməˈliSHən), and development. It’s like a circular(ˈsərkyələr) firing squad(skwäd) at a co-op meeting.

On June 1, members of a group that advocates(ˈadvəkeɪt) for housing growth(grōTH) to lower(ˈlou(ə)r,ˈlōər) rents called San Francisco YIMBY (for “Yes, In My Back Yard”) helped organize a panel(ˈpanl) in downtown San Francisco: “The Political Dynamics(dīˈnamiks) of Housing.” Over food and drink, a group of local experts(ˈekˌspərt) and activists tried to talk through why, despite(diˈspīt) widespread(ˈwīdˈspred) local consensus(kənˈsensəs) that something must change, San Francisco continues to be the country’s most expensive city for renting an apartment.

The day before the event, the San Francisco chapter(ˈCHaptər) of the Democratic(ˌdeməˈkratik) Socialists of America—an organization founded in 1982 whose membership more than tripled(ˈtripəl), in the 12 months ending in March 2017, to 19,000 dues-paying(d(y)o͞o) members—included(inˈklo͞odid) a note in their regular(ˈreg(ə)lər,ˈregyələr) membership letter(ˈletər). “The SF YIMBY Party is a pro-development, pro-gentrification, pro-landlord(ˈlan(d)ˌlôrd) organization,” it read. “DSA SF is seeking folks to come up with materials(məˈti(ə)rēəl) and a plan for challenging(ˈCHalənj) this narrative(ˈnarətiv) and the disinformation they will undoubtedly(ˌənˈdoutidlē) be spreading regarding housing at this meeting.”

That call, and an ensuing(enˈso͞o) shouting match at the panel, was the most overt(ōˈvərt,ˈōvərt) skirmish(ˈskərmiSH) in a feud(fyo͞od) between the DSA and the YIMBYs, two groups that have more in common than you might expect. Each has harnessed the political energy(ˈenərjē) of young people in West Coast cities. Each considers entrenched(enˈtrenCHt) wealthy(ˈwelTHē) homeowners an enemy. They have a good number of members in common. And the goal, of course, is the same: more affordable(əˈfôrdəbəl) housing.