(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) that extends local governments’ ability to provide property tax breaks to owners of vacant urban plots transformed into community gardens for ten years.  Ting authored the original law in 2013, which expires in 2019.

“Putting fresh fruits and vegetables on the table can be a challenge in some neighborhoods,” said Ting.  “Urban farming needs more time to take root and help more Californians access nutritious food.  Urban farms turn the concrete jungle into green spaces that bring value to neighborhoods, transforming blight into bounty.”

Many communities across California now provide property tax breaks for urban agriculture, including:

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) released the following statement following the State Assembly’s passage of a comprehensive package to provide new funding for affordable housing, strengthen accountability on communities to build housing, and to streamline housing construction:

“We finally did it!  This breakthrough will help build a future that is more prosperous and inclusive.  New investments in affordable housing development paired with comprehensive housing reform will help California create the housing we desperately need.  Exploding housing costs have uprooted families from their communities and reduced access to high-wage jobs of the future.  I urge my colleagues in the Senate to support these vital measures.”

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Contact:  Anthony Matthews, tel. (916) 319-2019

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Legislature passed a bill authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) creating 25 new neighborhood-restricted liquor licenses for San Francisco restaurants along underdeveloped commercial corridors.

Assembly Bill (AB) 471 passed the Assembly 61-0, following a 38-0 Senate vote.  The bill now awaits the Governor Jerry Brown’s signature or veto.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Legislature passed a bill authored by Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) extending for ten years local governments’ ability to provide property tax breaks to owners of vacant urban plots transformed into community gardens.  Ting authored the original law in 2013, which expires in 2019.

“You are what you eat.  A well-balanced diet is the foundation of health,” said Ting.  “Urban farming needs more time to take root and help more Californians access nutritious food in their neighborhoods.  Urban farms turn the concrete jungle into green spaces that bring value to neighborhoods, transforming blight into bounty.”

Many communities across California now provide property tax breaks for urban agriculture, including:

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) released the following statement after President Donald Trump’s administration announced the end of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program.

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – Assemblymember Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) released the following statement following the National Park Service’s announcement regarding the issuance of a permit for the far-right “Patriot Prayer” rally at Crissy Field on Saturday:

“By approving the permit for this weekend’s protest, the National Park Service ignored our pleas and flirts with disaster.  I draw no comfort from the permit’s laundry list of restrictions because the National Park Service has not disclosed how many of its own officers will enforce it.  If events turn violent, state and local law enforcement will inevitably be called in to clean up the mess.  I urge San Franciscans to speak out and stay safe by attending one of many counter protests in different locations.  Let’s show the nation that the arc of history bends towards San Francisco values, starting with equal rights for all, by speaking out passionately and peacefully against hate.”

Many Republican lawmakers oppose or abstain in vote about this atrocity of history and nativist policies of today

(SACRAMENTO, CA) – The California State Legislature passed a resolution recognizing the 135^th Anniversary of the signing of the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and calling on President Donald Trump to revoke his anti-immigrant executive orders. Authored by Assemblymembers Phil Ting (D-San Francisco) and David Chiu (D-San Francisco), Assembly Joint Resolution (AJR) 14 passed out of the Assembly today with a 60-0-19 vote following a Senate 30-10-0 vote last month.  Thirty-one Republicans voted no or abstained from this measure.

Citing concern for public safety after violence at White Supremacist rally in Charlottesville, the letter urges the National Park Service to reconsider issuance of permit for rally in Crissy Field

San Francisco – Today, Senator Scott Wiener, Assemblymember Phil Ting, and Assemblymember David Chiu sent a letter requesting that the National Park Service reconsider the issuance of a permit for the so-called Patriot Prayer Rally scheduled on August 26, 2017. The letter reads:

"As San Francisco's elected representatives in the California Legislature, we write to express our deep concerns about the issuance of a permit for the so-called Patriot Prayer Rally on Crissy Field on August 26. Our concern is for the safety of the people of San Francisco, and, given recent events in Charlottesville, we are not confident that peace can be maintained at this rally.

Representatives of San Francisco and San Mateo County call on Brisbane City Council to put forward a development plan that addresses regional need for housing

San Francisco  –  Today, Senator Scott Wiener, Assembly Speaker pro Tem Kevin Mullin, Assemblymember David Chiu, and Assemblymember Phil Ting released the following statement in advance of Monday evening’s Brisbane City Council meeting on the Baylands Development: